IN THE NEWS

Director’s Message 3 Skin Resurfacing Breakthrough 4 New Device Aids Cell Analysis 5 BECKMAN LASER INSTITUTE S p r i n g 1 9 9 9

The Whitaker Foundation recently nanoscale systems, and biomedical Whitaker granted UCI a $3 million Development computation. use light to Award to launch a nationally-recog- make diagnostic instruments and nized program in biomedical engineer- therapeutic devices for cancer, heart Grants $3 ing. disease and other diseases; nanoscale “We were impressed,” said Peter systems use computer chips and tiny Katona, Whitaker Foundation presi- mechanical robots to monitor and ma- Million Award dent of biomedical engineering pro- nipulate body functions; computation grams, “by the scope of UCI’s goals and employs computers to identify genes, the plans for achieving improve medical imaging, and model them. The prospect for light transport through tissue. building an influential bio- Whitaker funding also will help to medical engineering pro- equip core technology development gram is excellent.” labs, to fund undergraduates, gradu- BLI Director Michael ate students and postdoctoral research- Berns, Ph.D., who also co- ers, and to recruit as many as 12 new directs the UCI Biomedical faculty. Engineering Center, says The impact of the award will be felt UCI is honored to be cho- by students on many levels. New bio- sen for a Development medical engineering coursework lead- Award. ing to an undergraduate minor will be “This is an exciting op- offered in the 1999-2000 school year. portunity,” Berns says, “Our intent is to offer full under- “for UCI and the Beckman graduate and graduate programs by Laser Institute to play a 2001,” says Steve George, M.D., Ph.D., Institute Assistant Professor Zhongping Chen has major role in shaping bio- assistant professor and biomedical en- engineered a biomedical device to gauge subsurface blood flow. medical engineering in the gineering program co-director. 21st century.” Talks also are underway at the UCI’s Development Award is only School of Engineering about the pros- the 11th such award granted by pect of forming an academic Depart- Whitaker in the past 10 years. ment of Biomedical Engineering in the The four-year award will support future. biomedical engineering research al- The Whitaker Foundation, based in ready taking place at the College of Rosslyn, Va., was established after the Medicine, the Schools of Engineering, death of Uncas A. Whitaker, founder Biological Sciences and Physical Sci- of AMP, the world’s largest manufac- ences, and at the Beckman Laser Insti- turer of electrical connection devices. tute. The 24-year-old foundation plans to Research will build on UCI’s give away its $430 million endowment strengths in biophotonics, biomedical by the end of 2006. ■ N E W S B R I E F S

Institute Scientists Win Kudos

Professor To Chair Conference J. LaMorte, Ph.D., a four-year research Fulbright Selects BLI Scientist Associate Director J. Stuart Nelson, grant. LaMorte will use the $260,000 Tuan Pham, a medical and doctoral M.D., Ph.D., was elected chairman of award to study sterol regulatory bind- student working in Associate Professor the Gordon Research Conference on ing proteins, the transcription factor Tromberg’s research group, was chosen “ in Medicine and Biology” to be proteins important in cholesterol regu- for a J. William Fulbright Foreign Schol- held June 11-16, 2000. lation and, ultimately, coronary heart arship. The scholarship will fund 10 The Gordon Research Conferences disease. months of research at Lund University promote discussions of leading-edge Laser Medical Centre in Sweden begin- research in the biological, chemical and NIH Renews Grant ning in August. physical sciences. The NIH awarded Principal Inves- While in Sweden, Pham will study tigator (PI) Michael Berns, Ph.D., and quantitative tissue optical spectroscopy Editor Appointed co-PI Yona Tadir, M.D., $1.3 million to using ultra-fast, white light pulses. He Bruce Tromberg, Ph.D., associate continue research on photodynamic plans to measure tissue absorption and professor at the Beckman Laser Insti- therapy. The four-year renewal will scattering over a wide range of wave- tute and director of the Laser Micro- support ongoing basic and clinical re- lengths. By using many wavelengths, beam and Medical Program, was search that may one day yield effective Pham hopes that it will be easier to dif- named editor-in-chief of the Journal of treatments for cervical disease and ova- ferentiate normal tissue from tumor tis- Biomedical Optics. rian cancer. sue. ■ Published quarterly by the Interna- tional Society for Optical Engineering, Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic the journal features peer-reviewed pa- University of , Irvine pers on the use of optical technologies 1002 Health Sciences Road East in medicine and biology. Irvine, CA 92612 (949) 824-4713 (Administration) (949) 824-7980 (Clinic) Scientist Wins NIH Grant Assistant Professor Brian Wong, Board of Directors M.D., recently was honored with a Richard P. Kratz, M.D., Chairman Mentored Clinical Scientist Develop- Arnold O. Beckman, Ph.D., Chairman Emeritus Michael W. Berns, Ph.D., President and CEO ment Award from the National Insti- Linda Cahill, Vice Chair tutes of Health (NIH). George E. Hewitt, Secretary/Treasurer The $550,000 grant will fund Wong’s George L. Argyros Brian M. Demsey Richard A. Nesbit., Ph.D. ongoing study of laser reshaping of car- Patricia Beckman Harry Gray, Ph.D. Robert L. Stoy, Ph.D. tilage. Although cartilage is widely Thomas C. Cesario, M.D. Gavin S. Herbert David S. Tappan, Jr. used in reconstructive surgery, it is not always available in the right size. The Administration Michael W. Berns, Ph.D., President and CEO five-year award will help Wong de- J. Stuart Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Director velop a method to reshape cartilage Ruth Bundy, Ph.D., R.N., Clinic Administrative Director rapidly and safely. George M. Peavy, D.V.M., Veterinary Director Rachel Schreiman, C.P.A., M.B.A., Director of Finance Joyce Zeiler, R.N., Nurse Director Heart Grant Awarded The American Heart Association Beckman Laser Institute News has awarded Assistant Professor Vickie Nicole Knight

2 D I R E C T O R’ S M E S S A G E

Arnold Beckman: A Scientific Life and Legacy

s Dr. Arnold Beckman turns 99, awards, and the Ait seems appropriate to take a few research under- moments to reflect on the life of this way at the five great man. Beckman insti- Throughout the course of his life, tutes and cen- honors and awards have been heaped ters, bode well on Dr. Beckman (they keep coming— for the future of and rightly so). In fact, he recently was science in the awarded the 1999 Public Welfare Medal U.S. by the National Academy of Sciences The wisdom in Washington, D.C. I consider him one of Dr. Beckman of the greatest philanthropists of our is not only time, as do many others. manifest in his generous sup- The Beckman Foundation port of science Dr. Beckman, through the Arnold and scientists and Mabel Beckman Foundation, has but also (and given away approximately $300 mil- perhaps more Dr. Beckman and his daughter Pat celebrated his 99th birthday lion to various scientific programs. importantly) in with Dr. Berns, scientists and staff at the Beckman Laser Institute. This Foundation, in addition to pro- his decision to viding research support to the continue the Beckman Foundation into thrilling to still see the twinkle in his Beckman Laser Institute, also funds the perpetuity. eyes when he listens to young scien- Beckman centers at the California In- tists describe their newest research. stitute of Technology, the University of Science Is Its Mission Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, City of Ten years ago, Dr. Beckman revised A Lasting Scientific Legacy Hope Hospital and Medical Center, the Foundation’s mission to include Because of his vision and through and Stanford University. “preserving and enhancing the capital the legacy of his Foundation (com- The Foundation also supports the assets and distributing revenue to sup- prised of family and trusted friends), country’s brightest young scientists port leading-edge research in the fields Dr. Beckman will continue to be a driv- through the Beckman Young Investiga- of chemistry and the life sciences, ing force in science in the U.S. and, in- tor (BYI) awards. Since 1991, 128 young broadly interpreted, and particularly to deed, the world. faculty have received BYI funding, in- foster the invention of methods, instru- Thank you Dr. Beckman for what cluding our own Dr. Nancy Allbritton, ments and materials that open up new you have done for science in this cen- whose research is featured on page 5. avenues of research and applications tury and for the impact you will have In 1997, the Foundation also initi- in these disciplines and related sci- on science in the next. ated the Beckman Scholars Program to ences.” recognize outstanding undergraduate The disciplines that the Foundation MichaelBerns students in chemistry and biological targets are those around which Dr. sciences. So far, students at 36 univer- Beckman’s company, Beckman Instru- sities have received this award. ments (now Beckman Coulter), flour- Editor’s Note: This tribute to Dr. Beckman The scientists funded through the ished. Chemistry and life sciences tan- was written on April 10, 1999, the occasion Beckman Scholars Program and BYI talized (and still do) his curiosity. It is of his 99th birthday.

3 C L I N I C A L U P D A T E

Clinical Advance Speeds Healing

ew research by two Beckman effective, Dr. Conn N Laser Institute clinicians may noticed that patients reduce the healing time after full-face who underwent in- laser skin resurfacing and set a new tensive full-face re- standard for treatment. surfacing with the

A two-year clinical study of 91 pa- CO2 laser did not heal tients who underwent full-face laser as quickly as ex- skin resurfacing showed that those pected. prescribed fluconazole, an antifungal “Patients often de- medication, healed three days faster veloped areas of red- than patients treated with the standard ness and crusting Laser skin resurfacing, before and after treatment. drug regime. starting three days af- On average, the top layer of skin, or ter surgery and last- epithelium, of patients on fluconazole ing for several days,” he explains. dard regime plus fluconazole to se- healed seven or eight days after laser “Their skin exhibited symptoms of in- lected full-face resurfacing patients. treatment. fection even though the patients were “We prescribed fluconazole only to Howard Conn, M.D., UCI Chief of prescribed the appropriate regime of patients who underwent at least two Ocular Plastic Surgery, and Vandana antibiotics.” passes of laser treatment at a 300 mJ Nanda, M.D., UCI Associate Clinical Healing after skin resurfacing de- intensity,” Dr. Nanda says. “We found Professor, recently presented these pends on such factors as the type of la- that the delayed re-epithelialization findings at the annual meeting of the ser used, post-operative skin care, and had occurred primarily at this treat- American Society for Laser Medicine the kinds of antibiotics prescribed. ment intensity.” and Surgery. Standard medications currently pre- Patients treated with only one scribed include daily dosages of Ceph- “pass” of the laser, or at an intensity Laser Skin Resurfacing alexin and Ciprofloxacin, both antibac- less than 300 mJ, were excluded from Laser skin resurfacing, a popular terial agents, for a week after surgery. the study group. treatment for softening the appearance Three days before surgery patients also of wrinkles and scars, works by remov- begin daily dosages of Acylclovir, an Drug Yields Results ing the epithelial layer. In a response antiviral drug, that continue for 8 days The results so far have been prom- similar to that following a second-de- after laser treatment. ising. Ninety-five percent of patients gree burn, the skin heals, regrowing a Although it wasn’t part of the stan- treated with fluconazole healed within new epithelial layer. As an added ben- dard treatment regimen, Dr. Nanda no- nine days. Only 53 percent of patients efit, the heat produced by the laser is ticed that fluconazole, an antifungal on the standard regime healed that thought to shrink collagen, effectively medication, seemed surprisingly effec- quickly. tightening the new epithelium. tive against bacterial infection. Not surprisingly, this research gen- Laser skin resurfacing is less de- Research published in the Journal of erated quite a bit of interest at the re- structive and offers more favorable re- Trauma noted that fluconazole actually cent laser medicine conference. Both sults than chemical peels or dermabra- enhanced the ability of neutrophils, the clinicians hope that the information sion. natural bacteria-fighters in all of us, to will benefit patients nationwide. battle infection. If you would like more information Improving Treatment Starting in October 1996, Drs. about laser skin resurfacing, call (949) Although the treatment is safe and Nanda and Conn prescribed the stan- 824-7980. ■

4 T E C H N O L O G Y U P D A T E

LMS Lights the Way

hen your car won’t start, you Wpop the hood to find out what’s wrong. Wouldn’t it be nice to do the same with cells? Fortunately, a new device now makes “popping the hood” of a cell possible. The laser micropipette system (LMS), developed through a collabora- tion between scientists at the Beckman Laser Institute and the College of Medi- cine, allows them to stop a cell’s activi- ties in less than a millisecond and ana- lyze what’s inside. “It’s a whole new way to look at what is happening in the cell,” says LMS-developer Nancy Allbritton,

M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Assistant Professor Allbritton and graduate student Joe Soughayer test the LMS. physiology and biophysics.

Cell Signaling tion between Allbritton and Institute Tromberg says, “we had a way of freez- What happens inside a cell has been Associate Professor Bruce Tromberg, ing cell activity. Nancy had a way of a longtime interest of Allbritton’s. Ph.D. evaluating the cell’s contents. It was a While pursuing a doctoral degree at the “Back then,” Allbritton explains, “I natural collaboration.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had an idea about how to analyze cell Allbritton agrees, adding, “One of she started investigating the way cells signaling, but no idea about how to the reasons I came to UCI was to col- “signal” important functions like stop cellular activity quickly enough.” laborate with the folks at the Beckman growth and death Then Tromberg told her about laser Laser Institute.” “We know so little about cell signal- tweezers and scissors. ing,” Allbritton says, “yet it controls Laser tweezers and scissors are tools Collaboration Leads To LMS everything that happens to us.” available at only a few research centers, Allbritton and her colleagues, in- Allbritton’s early research focused including the Institute. The “tweezer” cluding Assistant Professor Chris Sims, on capillary electrophoresis-based is actually a laser beam with enough M.D., and Postdoctoral Fellow Gavin methods for cellular analysis. After a internal force to grasp a cell, or a Meredith, Ph.D., began developing postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford, structure inside a cell, without LMS in March, 1997. It is now opera- she was recruited to UCI in 1994. An damaging it. The “scissor”—also a tional, although the scientists continue award the next year from the Beckman laser—cuts or ablates the cell. to make improvements. Young Investigator program helped to Thanks to early research by Direc- Allbritton calls its prospects bright. support her continuing investigation of tor Michael Berns, Ph.D., Institute re- “LMS may eventually help us analyze the mechanisms of cell signaling. searchers have used lasers to hold, cut cancer cells and perhaps understand The advent of LMS happened a few and ablate cells for over a decade. the intracellular activities that trigger years later during a chance conversa- “With laser scissors and tweezers,” cancer,” she says. ■

5 S T A F F P R O F I L E

Variety Is the Spice of...Work?

n this fast-paced, frenetic world, few my training in the humanities,” she Ican claim to have worked for the says. “I took very few science classes same employer for 27 years. But then in college, so it’s been interesting to most employees aren’t Elaine Kato. It’s learn about medicine and science.” not that she’s opposed to change. It’s Elaine has worn many hats during just that when she finds something she her time at BLI—from editing Dr. Berns’ likes—the Beckman Laser Institute, for first book to coordinating laser courses. example—she sticks with it. After the birth of her son Dylan, now Her “stick-to-itiveness” also ex- 18, she worked at home typing grants. tends to her personal life. Consider that She’s now back in the office three days she has been married to Howard Kato a week computerizing patient records, for 28 years. She’s had the same best among other things. friend since 1973 and has lived in the “I know a little of everything, but same house since 1979. not a lot of anything,” she says with a ` But staying power, Elaine says, laugh. doesn’t explain why she’s still at BLI. In the end, maybe the variety of her Elaine Kato “This job has been so different from assignments has been the key to her tenure at BLI. ■

Institute Contributors and Partners

SUPPORT GROUP Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kleist S. California Veterinary Medical Assoc. Dr. and Mrs. Jay Applebaum Dr. and Mrs. Richard Kratz The Argyros Foundation Wallace Landholm, M.D. INCUBATOR CORPORATE PARTNERS Dr. Arnold O. Beckman Richard McCleary and Ileen Frankel Newport Corporation Dr. and Mrs. Michael W. Berns Frank and Linda Meyskens Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Brenner Mrs. Warren S. Myers & Family CORPORATE AFFILIATES Marilyn Burton Tricia and Al Nichols Allergan, Inc. Cheng-Jen Chang, M.D. Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Beckman Coulter, Inc. Mr. John Chao Mrs. Audrey M. Schneiderman Coherent, Inc. Dr. and Mrs. W. Andrew Cies Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Scholler Newport Corporation Dr. Howard and Rita Conn Nancy and Paul Silverman ESC Sharplan Lasers, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Duke Cooper Mr. and Mrs. John Stahr SmithKline Beecham Mr. and Mrs. Brian Demsey Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sterman Dr. and Mrs. Norman Frankel Thomas T. and Elizabeth C. Tierney INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATES Mrs. Frederick Garry Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Weiss Bio-Safe America Mr. and Mrs. Walter Gerken D.E.L.T.A. Rescue Candela Marilyn Hester Gianulias Orange Coast Rhodesian Ridgback Club Carl Zeiss, Inc. Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Grazer Premier Laser Systems, Inc. Continuum Biomedical, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Herbert Shoreline Dog Fanciers Association DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Nora Hester Orange County Chapter, Hewlett Packard Mr. and Mrs. George Hewitt S. California Veterinary Medical Medical Optics, Inc. Robert L. Jones, M.D. Association Olympus Dr. and Mrs. Richard Kasper Saddleback-Capistrano Valley Chapter, Physical Optics Corporation

6 Soc. Photo-opt. Eng., and “Cell Viability Induced by Nd:YAG Laser-Mediated PUBLICATIONS and DNA Denaturation Measurements Heating” at the ASLMS meeting. by Two-Photon Fluorescence Excita- tion in CW Al:GaAs Diode Laser Opti- Michael Berns, Ph.D., published “Hu- cal Traps” in the J. Biomed. Optics. NOTABLES man Corneal Ablation Threshold Us- ing the 193-nm ArF Excimer Laser” in Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. PRESENTATIONS Petra Wilder-Smith, Ph.D., D.D.S., was awarded an NIH/NCI Phase 2 Yona Tadir, M.D., published “Intrau- SBIR for oral cancer detection. terine Light Probe for Photodynamic Howard Conn, M.D., and Vandana Therapy” in Obstetrics Gynecol. Nanda, M.D., presented “Prophylactic Vickie LaMorte, Ph.D., won a UCI Fluconazole Promotes Re-epithelializa- Faculty Career Development Award. Bruce Achauer, M.D., published tion in Full-face Carbon Dioxide Laser “Intralesional Photocoagulation of Pe- Skin Resurfacing” at the meeting of the Vasan Venugopalan, Sc.D., was riorbital Hemangiomas” in Plastic Re- American Society for Laser Medicine named Assistant Professor in the De- constructive Surgery. and Surgery (ASLMS). partment of Chemical and Biochemi- cal Engineering and Materials Science. Johannes de Boer, Ph.D., published Petra Wilder-Smith, Ph.D., D.D.S., He also was awarded a faculty research “Determination of the Depth Resolved presented “Laser-induced Fluores- grant from the College of Medicine Stokes Parameters of Light Backscattered cence for Detection and Diagnosis of Committee on Research. from Turbid Media by use of Polariza- Oral Malignancy” to the International tion-sensitive Optical Coherence To- Association for Dental Research. Johannes de Boer, Ph.D., was pro- mography” in Optics Letters. moted to Assistant Professor and also Hong Liang, Ph.D., presented “Cell was awarded a grant from the College Boris Majaron, Ph.D., published “Cal- Surgery and Manipulation by Laser of Medicine Committee on Research. culation of Crater Shape in Pulsed La- Scissors and Laser Tweezers” at the ser Ablation of Hard Tissues” in Lasers University of Hong Kong. Tuan Pham and Shyam Srinivas both Surg. Med. passed their Ph.D. qualifying exams. George Peavy, D.V.M., presented “In- Rene Hornung, M.D., published “Sys- fluence of Wavelength and Pulse Du- Loretta Sparks joined the Institute as temic Application of Photosensitizers ration on Bone Ablation Using an FEL Personnel/Payroll Manager. in the Chick Chorioallantoic Mem- Between 2.9 and 9.3 µm” to the Inter- brane (CAM) Model: Photodynamic national Society for Optical Engineer- Ciria Ventura is the Institute’s new Response of CAM Vessels and ALA ing (SPIE). Purchasing Manager. Uptake Kinetics by Transplantable Tu- mors” in the J. Photochem. Photobio. B: Boris Majaron, Ph.D., presented Albert Cerussi, Ph.D., joined the Insti- Biology. “Thermo-mechanical of tute as a Postdoctoral Researcher. Hard Dental Tissues” to SPIE. Marie J. Hammer-Wilson, M.S., pub- Joon Y. Choi was awarded a 1999 Joel lished “Photodynamic Activity of Lu- Xunbin Wei, Ph.D. candidate, pre- Noe Travel grant. tetium-Texaphyrin in a Mouse Tumor sented “Minimum Number of Recep- System” in Lasers Surg. Med. tors and Spatial Requirements for T cell Amir M. Karamzadeh was awarded an Activation Studied with an Optical Alpha Omega Alpha Fellowship. Xunbin Wei, Ph.D. candidate, pub- Trap and Calcium Imaging” to SPIE. lished “Minimum Number of Recep- Natalie Boghosian and Nicolle Miller tors and Spatial Requirements for T cell Joon Y. Choi presented “Thermal, Me- were awarded UCI undergraduate re- Activation Studied with an Optical chanical, Optical and Morphological search fellowships. Linh Nguy was Trap and Calcium Imaging” in Proc. Int. Changes in Bovine Nucleus Pulposus awarded a student travel grant.

7 NEWSBRIEFS

(continued from pg. 2)

Incubator Expansion Complete The Photonic Incubator expansion will be ready for occupancy this sum- mer. “This new space will allow us to work even more closely with our cor- porate partners,” says Institute Direc- tor Michael Berns. “It will also create an environment where we can trans- late much of our basic research into applications that directly benefit hu- The Photonic Incubator will facilitate the transfer of technology from the public man health.” sector to the private sector. The expansion adds approximately 10,000 square feet. The new space in- shared by scientists and corporate part- Generous donors, including the cludes four applications labs for devel- ners. Beckman Family Trust, the Hester Fam- oping and prototyping new medical The project was started with a $1 ily Foundation, as well as many mem- devices, a future operating room, and million grant from the Economic De- bers of the BLI Support Group, also office and conference space that will be velopment Administration. funded the expansion. ■

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