_EXAMINE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
NANOMATERIALS
_ATOMIC ART The beauty of science at the nanoscale is revealed by images from a new scientific images art contest established at Drexel.
his image at left, nicknamed “MXene Library,” is the inaugural top-winning photo of an international competition created by the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute to cele- Tbrate the surprising beauty within the microscopic details of everyday nanomaterials. Babak Anasori, a research assistant professor in the institute and in the Materials Science and Engineering Department of the College of Engineeering, established the NanoArtogra- phy contest two years ago to help laypeople appreciate how scientists study the world at the atomic level and to bring attention to Drexel’s groundbreaking materials science research. The unusual images are scans of metals or nanoparticles taken by an electron micro- scope, then highly magnified (for perspective, a human hair would have to be sliced 100,000 times to reach the thickness equal to one nanometer) and often given an artistic _“MXENE LIBRARY” touch with photo-editing software.
MXene Ti3C2 “clay” has The judging panel, which includes Anasori and professors of both science and art, look a layered structure for intriguing images that also have a story to tell, Anasori says. that can be eas- “We ask, ‘Can it convey a message about your research?’” he says. “By looking at natu- ily sheared, creating ral things under a microscope we can see how nature uses nano features in its design. fantastic forms on the Seashells, for example, are made of nacre (mother of pearl) which is very strong, but on microscale. This is a a nanoscale, shells are actually plates of hard material bonded to soft materials — that’s scanning electron mi- what makes them resilient. To make something as strong as nacre, we have to be able to
croscope image of Ti3C2 design from the nano level all the way to the macro level.” stacks that have been Drexel's Materials Science and Engineering Department is the birthplace of MXenes, partially sheared along a new family of atomic-thin, conductive materials that promises many potential uses, their basal atomic including high-capacity batteries, smaller and wearable electronics and even applications planes and colorized to for the treatment of cancer. emphasize their like- While still a PhD student, Anasori created beautiful scans of MXenes that gained noto- ness to books. riety outside of science circles. One dramatic image of a titanium-based MXene by Anasori and fellow graduate researcher Michael Naguib won the People’s Choice award in the Na- First Place Prize tional Science Foundation’s International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge, the most competitive contest of its kind. It later also appeared in National Geographic maga- MICHAEL GHIDIU zine and on MSNBC. PhD materials science “These images are a way to communicate science to the public,” Anasori says. “I think and engineering ’18 they brought more visibility than anything else to my research. Now I’m encouraging stu- Drexel University dents and other researchers to do the same for their own good.” — Sonja Sherwood
EXELmagazine.org 1 _EXAMINE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
NANOMATERIALS
_“PIEZOELECTRIC NANOYARN GALAXY” This is an electrospun PVDF-TrFe nanoyarn. PVDF-TrFe is a polymer capable of forming piezoelectric nanofibers without the need for additional poling. Nanoyarns are higher-order architectures of nanofìbers and are fabri- cated by twisting bundles of aligned nanofibers together during the electrospinning process.
Second Place Prize
ARIANA LEVITT PhD engineering candidate Drexel University
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NANOMATERIALS
_“GERBERA FLOWER ” This work reveals how common shapes and colors in nature can be visualized within microscopic images, making it possible to show that the nano world is simi - lar to the macro world. The image was obtained through field emission gun–scanning electron microscope (FEG– SEM) using strontium tungstate.
Third Place Prize
RICHARDO TRANQUILIN Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil
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NANOMATERIALS
_"POLYANILINE BLUEBERRIES ON CARBON NANOFIBERS TWIGS" Electrospun carbon nanofibers are coated with a 10-nanometers-thick polyaniline coating using oxida- tive chemical vapor deposition. During this specific re - action, spheres of polyaniline formed on the surface of the carbon nanofibers, along with some rough patches.
Honorable Mention
YURIY SMOLIN PhD chemical engineering ’17 Drexel University
_"FALL IS HERE, BUT WINTER IS NEAR" This image depicts colorized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) crystallites viewed under a scanning electron microscope.
Honorable Mention
GABRIEL BURKS PhD materials science and engineering ’18 Drexel University
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NANOMATERIALS
_“TI3 CN ANTELOPE CANYON” The curved structure presented in the picture is a porous Ti3CN MXene. The width of the “cliff” on the right-hand side of the picture is approximately 20 microns. The author aims to relate the MXene micro - porous structure with the Antelope Canyon in Nevada, also made of soil.
People’s Choice Award
KANIT HANTANASIRISAKUL PhD engineering candidate Drexel University
8 EXELmagazine.org 9 _CONTENTS
_EXEL 20132018 34 BODY BY DESIGN In a class design thought experiment, student bio- engineers imagined 23 AN INTERVIEW plausible solutions to some WITH MODERNITY of the trickiest problems in The materials and medicine. _by Ben Seal technologies that put modernity in motion are 48THE LAST MILE exhilarating, but they The road to early breast can - have consequences that cer detection is particularly must be managed, warns rough in developing countries, Drexel sociologist and where scarce medical re - mobility theorist Mimi sources, poverty and cultural Sheller. _by Ben Seal taboos are obstacles to women with Mimi Sheller 20A CURE FOR learning their diagnoses before CANCER'S SPREAD? it’s too late. But an ingenious 74 A drug compound in new hand-held medical device ALONE IN THE development at Drexel would 24 DARK BUT NOW IN THE KID SEAT pioneered at Drexel is covering 54 01 give breast cancer patients Researchers are gathering the distance between diagnosis THE CHEMICALS YOU'VE COME ALONG _EXAMINE the gift of precious time, data never before available and survival. _by Adam Stone THEY CARRY Can the power of music help The beauty of nanoscale by keeping metastatic cells on pediatric subjects that Thousands of U.S. soldiers people with dementia reconnect is on display in Drexel's returned from the 1991 with the world around them? scientific art contest. from seeding deadly new will help vehicle restraint tumors. _by Lauren Ingeno manufacturers build safer Persian Gulf War with a College of Nursing and Health mysterious, incurable illness. 64 Professions recent doctoral seats and belts for children. _by Lini S. Kadaba To find treatments, College graduate Kendra Ray and her of Medicine researchers are colleagues know that it can, reprogramming veterans’ because they see it every day. 13 cells. _by Lauren Ingeno _by Carolyn Sayre _VISIT EXEL ONLINE
14 42 58 78 _TECH/SCIENCE _BODY OF RESEARCH _PUBLIC HEALTH Bullet blocker _CULTURE/SOCIETY , polymer nanobrushes, Firefighter injuries, PCBs and The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel Food waste, gender bias in smart fabrics, energy storage, nano- pregnancy, coloring books, autism University is in the midst of digitizing all of coaching, makerspaces, biased medicine, MXenes, breaking point, early detection, police killings, its specimens, including its two-century-old big data, gym incentives, aging cells, a better boride. WELL Center, methane from Malacology Collection of 10 million shells. Instagram consolation, science fracking, partisan health policy. of co-op, CEOs and mergers, genocide and justice, best BUD, 12 brand insights. _PRESIDENT’S 68 MESSAGE _MEDICINE Research for the public good Failed joints, athletic injuries, cancer cell movement, infant 28 lung disease, ultrasound wound _NATURE/ENVIRONMENT healing, anti-malaria drugs, Fossils, carbon emissions and crops, "Daughterless," cystic fibrosis, rediscovered alga, moss and pollution, neuron movement. young scientists, prehistoric fish nursery, catfish, diatoms, museum app.
10 EXELmagazine.org 11 _PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE / WEB _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
_DREXEL UNIVERSITY _LIFE-SAVING IDEAS _EXPLORE EXEL ONLINE RESEARCHMAGAZINE 2018 Research for the public good Connect with EXEL Magazine at exelmagazine.org for online-only exclusive content, interviews with Drexel researchers, more in-depth coverage and videos about our EDITORIAL_STAFF work, updates from our growing research enterprise and more. Editor _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
Sonja Sherwood _ONLINE EXELmagazine.org
STAFF_CONTRIBUTORS Beth Ann Downey Alissa Falcone 05 Britt Faulstick Niki Gianakaris
Lauren Ingeno 03 Frank Otto Emily Storz
DESIGN Pentagram
ADMINISTRATION President 54 02 John A. Fry _SICK OF WAR Thousands of U.S. soldiers returned from the 1991 Persian Gulf War with a Senior Vice President, mysterious, incurable illness. To fi nd 04 answers, College of Medicine researchers University Communications are reprogramming veterans’ cells. Lori Doyle
Senior Vice Provost, Research Aleister Saunders
EXEL_MAGAZINE EXEL Magazine is published ith so many challenges facing society, it is the neurological underpinnings of Gulf War 06 annually by the Office of _ABOUT THE COVER reaffirming to see how research across Illness to develop treatments that would University Communications Up close, the fabric Drexel University continues to benefit reverse it. 3141 Chestnut St., Suite 309 W worn by U.S. soldiers Philadelphia, PA 19104 the public good. Drexel alumnus Mihir Shah developed a in the first Gulf War Telephone: 215.895.1530 This annual edition of EXEL Magazine de- low-cost, portable breast cancer screening de- Fax: 215.895.6157 almost resembles the shape of cells. In tails several promising research initiatives vice based on technology pioneered by Drexel Office of the Vice Provost Drexel's College of that share a common theme we all can appre- faculty. In his native India and throughout 01 for Research Medicine, researchers ciate: Saving lives. the developing world, breast cancer survival 3141 Chestnut St. hope that the geneti- 234 Randell Hall cally modified cells of For example, biomedical engineer Sriram rates are low because poor access to screen- Philadelphia, PA 19104 military veterans hold Balasubramanian has created an innova- ings results in diagnoses that come too late. Telephone: 215.895.6091 the key to treating the tive crash sled to test automotive vehicle Last year, Shah’s company partnered with GE debilitating symptoms restraints for children, an area in which Healthcare to distribute the iBreastExam to of Gulf War Illness. few data currently exist. Balasubramanian’s millions of women who wouldn’t otherwise research will be used to build better, safer have access to early detection. seatbelts and seats to protect children. These stories and others in this edition of College of Medicine professors Olimpia EXEL show how the hallmarks of Drexel Uni- AMONG_THE_HIGHLIGHTS_FROM_THIS_ISSUE Meucci and Alessandro Fatatis have devel- versity — research, innovation and entrepre- 01 Watch a Discovery Channel Daily Planet episode demonstrating how Associate oped a cancer drug that studies show not neurship — are advancing society by literally Professor Sri Balasubramanian uses his oscillating human-accelerator sled to only blocks new tumors from forming, but saving lives. I am so proud of the work we do study car crash effects on children and youth. 02 Beautiful shells from the Academy also stops initial metastases from growing. at Drexel and the critical role we play through of Natural Sciences’ digitized Malacology Collection were publicly presented in a This could be a breakthrough treatment for our research, scholarship and education. Google Cultural Institute online exhibit. 03 See the 2017 winners of the A.J. Drexel breast cancer, which often spreads to other Nanomaterials Institute NanoArtography Competition. 04 Learn more about Ballistic parts of the body. Sincerely, Cordon Systems, the company created by Drexel engineering graduates to market Thousands of U.S. soldiers returned from a bullet-proof curtain they designed to protect people in public spaces from a mass the 1991 Persian Gulf War with a mysterious, shooter. 05 See how Westphal student Dani Banner conducted product research that incurable illness. But a team of researchers informed her design of BUD, a desktop companion that helps office workers connect at the College of Medicine are examining John A. Fry / President with the outdoors. 06 Watch Academy of Natural Sciences scientist Ted Daeschler unwrap fossils retrieved during his expedition to Antarctica.
12 _TECH / SCIENCE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
ENGINEERING _BULLET BLOCKER
A group of Drexel engineering students invented a bulletproof curtain that can be instantly deployed to public spaces to protect people from a mass shooter.
here were more than 300 mass shootings The curtains are tucked away in OPEN HALLWAY / ACTIVE SHOOTER OPEN HALLWAY / ACTIVE SHOOTER / BALLISTIC CURTAIN CORDON SYSTEM DEPLOYED in America in 2017, a building’s ceiling, and can be T unfurled in three to four seconds. according to nonprofit data- They can be activated manually gathering organization Gun or triggered automatically. Violence Archive. And in 2016, and 2015 as well. While there is seemingly no public command, creating a bul- space that is safe from a letproof set of obstacles. shooting, some Drexel stu- Navin knew from his dents have devised a way to time as an Army sniper make them less deadly. that AR500 steel can take James Ostman ’17 and hundreds of shots without Daniel Navin ’17, both Army showing any effects, so veterans, designed a system the engineers used it as of protective steel barriers the system’s base mate- that can be used to shield rial. Small plates of steel innocent bystanders and are placed between sheets limit an attacker’s ability of nylon and held in place to inflict damage. They call with Velcro bonded to the it the Ballistic Curtain Cor- steel with silicone-based don System, and it has the adhesives. The curtains potential to save lives. would be tucked away in a “Taking something like building’s ceiling, ready to an open space, it’s easy drop whenever needed. for someone who wants The design takes three to to inflict harm to take ad- four seconds to unfurl, leav- vantage of that situation,” ing a staggered series of six- Ostman says. “But when foot-tall curtains in place you start creating barriers, to protect anyone from just physical and visual, that’s above their feet to the top of where you can really inter- their head. The cordon can rupt that intent.” be used repeatedly and even Ostman and Navin, both has an administrative over- of whom graduated from ride so police can electroni- the College of Engineering cally pull the curtains back in 2017 with mechanical into the ceiling when they engineering degrees, came need to clear a scene. up with the design by think- The team sees it as some- ing back to their time on thing that could be used military bases in Iraq and in any school, office, night Afghanistan, where large club or municipal building concrete walls functioned CURTAIN_CONSTRUCTION — a measure of insurance to halt the trajectory of any Small plates of AR500 steel are placed between against the horror of a mortar or shrapnel that vulnerable bystanders bystanders protected behind curtain system sheets of nylon and held in place with Velcro bonded mass shooting. might come in. They teamed to the steel with silicone-based adhesives. During “If we can put ourselves with classmates Peter Lewis trial testing, researchers shot multiple rounds from in position to positively (mechanical engineering an AK47 and M4, and though the impact side sus - impact one of these situa- ’17), and Fen Tamulonis tained damage, the bullets did not penetrate. tions, that would be enough (electrical engineering ’17) for me,” says Ostman. “We to create a prototype for a would love to play a hand, system of thin steel barriers because of this design, in that can be retrofitted into actually mitigating one of any ceiling and unfurled on these situations.” _ONLINE To learn more about the Ballistic Curtain Cordon System and to see the curtains in action, visit EXELmagazine.org. 14 EXELmagazine.org 15 _TECH / SCIENCE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
MATERIALS SMART FABRICS MATERIALS BIOMED _DUST MIGHT _A FACTORY FOR FUTURE FABRICS _JUST ADD SALT _CELL SKIN
ou probably aren’t A regional manufacturing lab established by Drexel in collaboration with the before the AFFOA partner- It will be called the In the search for a better recipe to produce thin or more than a decade, aware of the invisible federally funded Advanced Functional Fabrics of America will work with public- ship was announced, teams “Pennsylvania Fabric sheets of metal oxide fit for energy storage , a biomedical research- Y carpets of polymers private partners to develop new “textile devices” and foster an American edge in of computer scientists, Discovery Center” and will little salt can go a long way. Fers have been looking that keep everyday items advanced fabric manufacturing. engineers, designers and be overseen by the Center for better ways to deliver from collecting dust and experts in medicine and for Functional Fabrics on aking energy-storage cancer-killing medication dirt. But there these so- nanomaterials at Drexel behalf of mid-Atlantic materials is a little directly to tumors. Tiny called “polymer nano- were developing products members of the AFFOA M like baking. It re- capsules called nanoparti- _CHRISTOPHER LI STITCH_LAB brushes” are, protecting Li is a professor in the such as a bellyband for manufacturing network. quires just the right mix of cles can transport chemo- your glasses from getting Department of Materials The new Pennsylvania Fabric respiration and uterine It is AFFOA’s first national ingredients prepared in a therapy medicine through smudged or keeping the Science and Engineering Discovery Center will be available contraction monitoring, a hub outside of Massachu- specific way — at just the the bloodstream, but the in the College of Engi - underbellies of ships neering and head of the to public-private research partners fabric touchpad, a haptic setts; AFFOA's long-term right temperature — to challenge is coming up with from corroding. Soft Materials Lab. investigating functional fabric glove for hand therapy strategy is to open similar produce a thin, two-dimen- a delivery vehicle that is Polymer nanobrushes processes and prototypes. and textile fibers that centers across the country. sional sheet of material sturdy enough to survive ensure that artificial joints can store energy. “The Fabric Discovery with the perfect chemical the bumpy ride and also don’t lock up and medical Through the partner- Center will build upon consistency to be useful. lithe enough to squeeze devices don’t gather germs. ship with AFFOA, Drexel Pennsylvania’s rich textile And, researchers have through a tumor’s dense And Drexel researchers polymer crystals — some- helps universities in the history and bring together found, it’s best to add salt. extracellular space — a thing like a nanoscale piece mid-Atlantic region col- academic and industrial ex- A team of scientists from matrix stuffed with sugars of double-sided tape — and laborate on the research and pertise statewide to create Drexel (among them Yury called hyaluronic acid. sticking it to an existing development of futuristic an ecosystem that supports Gogotsi, the Distinguished In the journal Nano substrate, allowing the fibers with startups, venture innovation, collaboration University and Charles T. Letters, senior author Hao crystals to dissolve and the capital groups, nonprofits and education,” says Gene- and Ruth M. Bach Professor CRYSTAL_CLEAR Cheng, an assistant profes- remaining polymer chains and industry partners such vieve Dion, associate profes- in the College of Engineer- Table salt is a key ingredient sor with an appointment in to spring up and form the as Nike, New Balance, VF sor in the Westphal College ing and director of the in making better materials the College of Engineering brush’s bristles. Corp. and Steelcase. of Media Arts & Design and A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials for energy storage. and affiliation with the The relative amount of In 2017, Drexel fur- director of the Center for Institute; and Xu Xiao, a School of Biomedical Engi- friction the brushes can ther announced that it is Functional Fabrics. “Our postdoctoral researcher in provement is that research- neering, Science and Health eliminate by acting as a establishing a state-of-the- transdisciplinary approach the institute), Huazhong ers are fabricating materials Systems, reported that lubricant is determined art, end-to-end advanced at Drexel and the Center University of Science and that are better equipped, his team, which includes by how long and rigid the regional manufacturing for Functional Fabrics will Technology and Tsinghua structurally and chemically, Wilbur Bowne, a professor polymers are and how far facility capable of devel- help resolve fundamental University have discovered for faster transport of ions in the College of Medicine, apart they’re spaced. Li’s oping functional fabric manufacturing problems, they can make the result- and electrons. had developed a method LONGER_LIFE method allows him to pre- prototypes for pilot-stage leading to the successful ing materials bigger and In theory, the best mate- that involves the decora- Drexel researchers’ new cisely tune those character- production. design and production of better at soaking up energy rials should be thin sheets tion of nanovehicles with polymer nanobrushes, istics because he can con- truly functional textiles. by using salt crystals as of metal oxides, because enzymes known to break like those used to protect trol the formation of the Ultimately, this will stimu- a template to grow thin their chemical structure down the acid. There is glasses from getting two-dimensional crystal "Functional fibers” late job creation activities sheets of electrochemically and high surface area make also an extra layer of poly- smudged, are more dense- sheets, allowing for the cre- integrate yarns and and workforce development active metal oxides. The it easy for ions to attach — ethylene glycol to partially ly packed, and can help ation of the most densely fibers engineered to for an advanced functional team found that the salt which is how energy storage cover the enzymes ensur- see, hear, sense and extend the life of various packed polymer brushes to fabrics industry.” helps create flakes of two- occurs. But the metal oxide ing that particles have suf- communicate. kinds of medical devices. date, with bristles less than dimensional materials that sheets that have been fabri- ficient time to enter into a nanometer apart. magine a computer with Drexel’s Center for are 50,000 times thinner cated in labs thus far have tumors. The method is four have come up with a way to According to a paper in keyboard knit from Functional Fabrics, in than a human hair, but are fallen short. times more effective at make them better. Nature Communications, Li’s Iyarn, embedded with partnership with a collabo- large in lateral dimensions Using salt crystals as a sending nanoparticles into For years, the nanobrush team is even able to create touch sensors and blue- ration announced in 2016 — and thus more suitable substrate lets the ingredi- a solid tumor than one of production process has polymer crystals with tooth, so soft and flexible with the Department of for gathering ions and stor- ents spread out and form a the best strategies in use, either involved “grafting- anchor points on both ends it could be crumpled into a Defense-funded Advanced ing energy. larger sheet of oxide mate- the group found. from” — similar to so they form a loop, which pocket. Such a device would Functional Fabrics of In an energy-storage rial. Think of it like making The team tested their sprinkling seeds on soil and is a much sturdier bristle be cloth-like, yet highly America (AFFOA), are at _GENEVIEVE DION device energy is stored via a waffle by dripping batter nanoparticle against waiting for grass to grow formation than a single- technological and func- the forefront of developing Dion is an associate adsorption or the chemical into a pan versus pouring competitors that lacked professor and design — or “grafting-to” — more anchored polymer. tional. Imagine how a class the models, standards, de- scientist in the West- transfer of ions from an it into a big waffle iron; the additional layer of like transplanting indi- “One day engineers of textiles like that could sign and fabrication meth- phal College of Media electrolyte solution to thin the key to getting a big, polyethylene glycol and vidual blades of grass. The will be able to tailor-make transform everyday life ods necessary to stimulate Arts & Design and di- layers of conductive materi- sturdy product is getting ones that didn’t have the rector of the Center for approach taken by Professor incredibly durable polymer and product design across a domestic manufacturing Functional Fabrics. als. As these devices evolve the solution — be it batter enzymes. Their nanoparti- Christopher Li in the Col- brush coatings to extend multiple industries. industry around function- they’re becoming smaller or a chemical compound — cle performed better in both lege of Engineering involves the usage lives of all kinds It sounds like science al fibers. tegrate yarns and fibers en- and can hold an electric to spread evenly over the penetrating tumors and in growing a functional, of uniquely shaped joints fiction, but interdisciplin- “Functional fibers,” un- gineered to see, hear, sense charge for longer periods. template and stabilize in a accumulating in the cancer- two-dimensional sheet of and couplings,” Li says. ary researchers working like traditional fabrics, in- and communicate. Even The reason for their im- uniform thin sheet. ous cells to get to work.
16 EXELmagazine.org 17 _TECH / SCIENCE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
MATERIALS MATERIALS BIOLOGY _MATERIAL WITNESSES _THE BREAKING POINT _AGING SECRET _BUILDING A BETTER BORIDE COMBUSTION_ENGINES n the almost seven years investigator on the project A new finding expands scientists' understanding of central riddle in the Borides are used as coatings for surfaces that since researchers in the that led to the material’s how layered materials handle pressure. science of aging is that Oxidization can cripple even the most durable metals, but Drexel researchers must survive the harshest environments, like IDepartment of Materi- discovery, says there is Aif the human body has have found a way to keep the elements from breaking down their borides. the inside of combustion engines. Although als Science and Engineering tremendous potential for end, but don’t break. It’s dubbed a “ripplocation.” evolved to protect itself, why some metal borides are among the hard- in the College of Engineer- MXene’s use in energy- an approach to life, Inspired by the paper, can’t cells cope with the ome metal borides are est and most heat-resistant materials on the ing discovered MXene, a storage devices because Band also the way mate- Michel Barsoum, a distin- challenges of getting old? among the hardest and planet, they still oxidize at high temperatures. new two-dimensional mate- it can hold and discharge rials in nature are inclined guished professor in the Smost heat-resistant rial composed of titanium electricity at exceptional to function. Department of Materials materials on the planet, but (or other metal) and carbon rates without deteriorat- New findings from Science and Engineering like so many others they or nitrogen atoms, scien- ing. Its conductive proper- Drexel researchers indicate in the College of Engineer- still oxidize at high tem- tists around the world have ties can also be controlled that contrary to common ing, and his team set about peratures. If not controlled, taken up the task of seeing and have even proven to understanding of how proving that ripplocation oxidation is often the death just how special it might be. be highly tunable. layered materials — every- exists not only in near- knell for the use of a mate-
thing from sedimentary surface layers of two-di- _ANDRES KRIETE rial in high-temperature rocks to atomic layers of mensional materials, as the Kriete is associate dean structural applications. graphite — behave when MIT paper had suggested, for academic affairs Researchers from Drexel, and an associate teach- compressed, they actually but also throughout the in- ing professor in the Linkoping University in form a series of ripples as ternal layers of all layered School of Biomedical Sweden and Imperial Col- Engineering, Science they deform. materials. Through careful and Health Systems. lege London have produced “Dislocation theory — examination of computer an aluminum-layered boride in which the operative models of compressed A study of quiescent that is uniquely resistant to deformation micromecha- graphitic atomic layers, the (sleeping) human cells oxidation at high tempera- nism is a defect known as a researchers saw defor- suggests that the body is tures, offering an upgrade Aluminum dislocation — is very well mation consistent with hardwired to respond to to one of the most durable Boride established and has been ripplocation. aging with the same tactics materials in production. Molybdenum FLURRY_OF_EXPERIMENTS spectacularly successful in “We now have evidence it uses to fight off infec- Borides are used as Researchers in about 300 organizations in close to 40 our understanding of the for a new defect in solids; tions. Drexel researchers coatings for surfaces that countries have published research investigating ways deformation of metals,” in other words, we basi- and colleagues at Thomas must survive the harshest to use the promising new material in a variety of ap - says Garritt J. Tucker, who cally doubled the deforma- Jefferson University created environments. But, accord- plications. Drexel holds three issued patents related to was an assistant professor tion micromechanisms an in vitro model to study ing to Michel Barsoum, dis- MXene that cover broad composition of matter claims, in the College of Engineer- known,” says Mitra Taheri, quiescent cells — those that tinguished professor in the with 10 more patents pending. ing’s Department of Materi- the Hoeganaes associate are not dividing and are Department of Materials OXIDATION_RESISTANT To make their boride mate- als Science and Engineer- professor in the Depart- most common in the body Science and Engineering in rial, called molybdenum MXene was born from Perhaps as important ing when the study was ment of Materials Science — and found that energeti- the College of Engineering aluminum boride, Barsoum research inspired by the as any of the material’s published. “But it never and Engineering. cally stressed cells showed a and lead author of research and his team combined a discovery of the amazing potential uses is the abil- really accurately accounted The findings apply to most signaling profile associated published in Scientific Reports, molybdenum-boron lattice properties of two-dimen- ity to produce it in large for the rippling and kink layered materials, including, with cell survival inflamma- we can make borides better. with a double layer of alu - HOW_IT_WORKS minum to produce a mate- sional graphite — called quantities. Gogotsi’s lab can band formation observed in quite possibly, geologic forma- tion. The results suggest that “This discovery is quite When heated to high temperatures in air, rial durable enough to resist graphene. It builds on make as much as 100 grams most layered solids.” tions, says Barsoum. the body handles aging with significant because it is the the aluminum atoms selectively diffuse to oxidation at extremely high the idea that atom-thick of MXene at a time. A 2015 paper published a strategy similar to the way first example ever of a tran- the surface and react with oxygen — forming temperatures. The key is the materials could be the key “The fact that it can by a group at the Massachu- RIPPLOCATION it fights off acute bacterial sition metal boride that is a SURFACE ALUMINUM OXIDE , or alumina, material’s nanolaminated protective layer that slows down further oxidation structure, in which layers to building smaller, faster be produced in 100-gram setts Institute of Technology Ripplocation, a rippling of and viral infections. Find- quite oxidation-resistant,” considerably. In effect, the material forms its of molybdenum boride and electronics; improving quantities in the lab is a suggested a new deforma- internal atomic layers, is ings were published in the Barsoum says. own protective coating. aluminum alternate. energy-storage devices; add- breakthrough that clearly tion micromechanism — observed in a ceramic ma- journal Frontiers in Genetics. The findings have the ing impressive durability to shows that its practical best described as an atomic- terial when loaded parallel The cellular instinct to team pointed in the right products; and even repair- applications are real,” scale ripple — that they to the layers. survive acute challenges direction as they continue EPOXY ing damaged neurons. Gogotsi says. does not bode well for the to search for game-changing Researchers have already Since 2011, Gogotsi’s MX- ability to deal with long- materials, says Sankalp produced more than two ene research has received term chronic stresses, Kota, a doctoral student in ALUMINUM OXIDE dozen distinct MXenes with more than $2 million in according to the study’s Barsoum’s research group their own unique properties funding from groups that principal investigator. and the paper’s first author. +1400 c and identified more than include the U.S. Department “If cells are energetically “Now we know we’re Upon testing, the group also found the new˚ material 100 others that can be pro- of Energy, the Army Re- stressed over longer periods looking in the right place MOLYBDENUM ALUMINUM BORIDE retains its high thermal conductivity at elevated duced as stable materials. search Office, King Abdullah of time, the survival re- to make materials with this temperatures. Its melting point hasn’t yet been Distinguished Univer- University of Science and sponse also impairs genome impressive set of proper- determined, but preliminary results show it to be sity and Charles T. and Technology in Saudi Arabia, maintenance, which may ties,” Kota says. greater than 1400 degrees Celsius. Ruth M. Bach Professor the Qatar Foundation and explain why age is a risk Yury Gogotsi, the principal members of industry. factor for cancer,” Professor Andres Kriete says.
18 EXELmagazine.org 19 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
A CURE FOR CANCER’S SPREAD? A drug compound in development at Drexel would give breast cancer patients the gift of precious time , by keeping metastatic cells from seeding deadly new tumors. _by Lauren Ingeno _illustrations by Leandro Castelao _photo by Jeff Fusco
t was too late. That’s what doctors told then 41-year-old Tami Eagle Bowling, a former New York ICity advertising sales executive, on May 9, 2015. Two weeks earlier, after a routine mammogram, she had gone from being a seemingly healthy mother of two toddlers to a breast cancer patient. Shocked and scared, she was also ready to fight. She prepared to have a double mastectomy. But then she learned surgery wouldn’t save her — the cancer had already spread to her liver. It was metastatic. And incurable. While most breast cancer awareness campaigns are geared toward improving early de- tection and prevention, patients who succumb to the disease “almost never die from their primary tumor,” explains Alessandro Fatatis, a cancer researcher and professor in the De- partment of Pharmacology and Physiology at Drexel's College of Medicine. That’s because most breast tumors can be successfully treated with surgery or radio- therapy. But in 30 percent of breast cancer patients, cancer cells have also spread silently — or metastasized — to the brain, bones, lungs or liver, only to be discovered months, or sometimes years, after a complete mastectomy or other therapies. In some cases, like Bowl- ing’s, a patient is diagnosed from the start with stage 4 breast cancer. Scientists are struggling to understand why some patients have cancers that metastasize and others do not. Fortunately for Bowling, a new Pfizer drug called IBRANCE, which slows ALESSANDRO FATATIS the progression of metastatic breast cancer, received accelerated approval by the Food and is a professor in the Drug Administration (FDA) just three months prior to her diagnosis. She now takes the Department of Pharma- cology and Physiol- drug in combination with hormone therapy, allowing her to avoid chemotherapy and re- ogy in the College of main largely asymptomatic. Medicine. Still, IBRANCE is not a cure. In clinical trials, the therapy was only effective for a little over OLIMPIA MEUCCI two years. Bowling is learning to live in the present. But what she yearns for is more time. is a professor and chair “Every year in a child’s life is so important,” she says. “They have so many questions and of the Department of Pharmacology and so much to learn. One more year for my daughters to have me around will shape who they Physiology in the are as people forever.” College of Medicine.
20 EXELmagazine.org 21 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
BLOODSTREAM BONE METASTASIS
million in proof-of-concept funds to 50 projects. To receive THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME a grant, faculty members submit proposals to an oversight Enter Joseph Salvino. committee of the University and advance to a series of oth- Salvino, a medicinal chemist with over 20 years of indus- KEEPING TUMORS AT BAY er rounds, where they are grilled with questions ranging try experience and now a professor at the Wistar Institute, In a corner of Fatatis’ lab at Drexel, a graduate student is carefully removing metastatic from regulatory requirements to reimbursement strate- was an adjunct at Drexel in 2010 and was particularly in- tumors from a mouse that was treated with a drug candidate called FX-68. gies. Along the way, the researchers receive critical guid- terested in meeting the Italian scientists who had recently The compound works by targeting circulating tumor cells that have leaked into the ance on market analysis, company formation, intellectual identified a new target to stop the spread of breast and pros- bloodstream. Rather than killing the cells directly, FX-68 blocks a particular pathway, property and regulatory pathways. tate cancers. which prevents the cells’ ability to exit the blood, enter distant parts of the body and Fatatis and Meucci say the funding and direction they Fatatis recalls that when Salvino approached him to ask if “seed” new tumors in surrounding organs. received through Coulter were “invaluable” in allowing he could help with the project, “I told him I needed to block It sounds counterintuitive — killing cancer is usually the goal, after all. But Fatatis is them to launch their startup. “Drexel is exceptional in this this chemokine receptor and had no way to do so.” interested in finding a way to avoid “chasing the disease,” or curing tumors as they arise. regard, because this university environment really sup- Salvino’s response? “Give me two weeks.” Every time you give cancer cells the chance to seed a new site and divide, he explains, the ports entrepreneurship,” Meucci says. Salvino, impressed by Fatatis’ initial results, was exhila- odds of cells accumulating genetic mutations and becoming resistant to drugs increases. As Kerberos seeks funding to test its compound in clini- rated by the meeting. “I liked the initial data, and I liked His strategy, by contrast, is to prevent further seeding and extend the time doctors have cal trials, Fatatis and Meucci are prepared to face resistance the target, because this class of receptors is very druggable,” to treat existing tumors. from pharmaceutical industry investors, who historically Salvino says now. “Also, [Alessandro's] a very interesting guy. By preventing new tumors from planting themselves in the body’s organs, patients like are less than enthusiastic to tackle metastatic disease. But He challenged me. I took the challenge.” Bowling could gain more time to live. Once the cancer cells are contained in the blood’s with a unique approach and promising pre-clinical results, Ten days later, Salvino handed Fatatis a vial and the col- circulation — rather than inside solid tumors, where they are often shielded from therapy the Drexel research team is optimistic that it can turn a laborators got to work. Fours years later, the researchers had — they become easier targets for more potent treatments, like immunotherapy. pipe dream into a life-saving drug. perfected the compound, which granted them entry into the “It’s a more realistic, and also a more collaborative, approach,” adds Olimpia Meucci, National Cancer Institute’s highly competitive anti-cancer professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology in the College of REDIRECTING SEEDS FROM SOIL drug development program, the Experimental Therapeutics Medicine. “Eventually, as more drugs come on the market, we can combine different ap- For many years, the oncology research community hypoth- NO_EXIT Program (NExT). proaches to treat the disease even better.” esized that each metastasis in a cancer patient originates Cancer spreads to other When the group tested their lead compound — FX-68 — Meucci, who has an adjoining lab with Fatatis, has been collaborating with him on a from one single tumor. Cancer cells from a breast tumor parts of the body through the on pre-clinical animal models, they saw something remark- series of research projects for more than 20 years. Over the past decade, this husband-wife for instance, leave the original site, travel into a patient’s bloodstream. During this pro- able: Not only did the drug candidate block breast cancer cells team has been developing, testing and perfecting a series of compounds that they hope will blood, and then seed into bone, or liver, or brain. Once cess, molecules located on from seeding into the skeleton and soft-tissue organs, it also one day treat patients with advanced breast and prostate cancers. there, the cancer could lay silently dormant for months or CELL DEATH the surface of cancer cells prevented the growth of already existing metastases. Their The pair met while in medical school in Naples, Italy, and spent summers together at years before growing into a new lesion. (CX3CR1 in this case) can results were published in 2016 in Molecular Cancer Research. the National Institutes of Health, where they were exposed to an environment that was “The thought was that there was nothing you could do to sense and respond to chemo- Their next steps will be isolating the best drug candidate “exhilarating in terms of the stop new metastases from seeding, because the horse already kines, which are needed in (they have 50 in the pipeline), and then securing investor resources and speed that you left the barn,” Fatatis explains. “Whatever tumor develops order for the cancer cells to funding to test the safety and efficacy of the drug in clinical could complete experiments,” BY PREVENTING between now and the next 10 years, was planted long ago.” It turned out that a chemokine receptor could be the per- cross from the bloodstream trials. The team is optimistic, but cautious, about what lies Fatatis says. After earning But more recently, new studies emerged that supported an fect target for stopping the spread of secondary tumors, be- to the skeleton and other ahead. Salvino offers this staggering statistic: Drugs in the medical and doctoral degrees NEW TUMORS FROM entirely different school of thought: That in fact, in addition cause chemokine receptors, at least in part, are responsible organs. Cancer cells can only pre-clinical trial phase have around a 90 percent failure rate. in Europe, they began their to the previous scenario, metastases themselves can actually for directing particular cancer cells to specific locations. survive in the bloodstream Still, the researchers have good reason to be confident. careers as researchers at the seed new tumors or existing ones, even after the primary tu- “Cancer cells use signals to disseminate to different sites for a few hours, so migrat- Their target, Salvino points out, is very selective, rather University of Chicago. They PLANTING THEMSELVES mor is removed. in the body,” says Fatatis. “They tend to go everywhere, but ing toward chemokines is than “promiscuous,” and their compound is a small mole- joined Drexel’s medical fac- This evidence, supported by two separate 2015 studies, they thrive only on some specific organs. You don’t hear about essential for the cancer not cule, which means the drug could be taken orally. Even more ulty in 2000, where they be- IN THE BODY’S ORGANS, “completely changed the game,” Fatatis says, and identified a brain tumor in a prostate cancer patient, but you often only to spread but also to promising, the team’s animal studies offer strong data that gan searching for therapeutic a new route for researchers to stop cancer from spreading. If hear about a brain mass in a breast cancer patient.” avoid death. Researchers are the drug can be effective for an extended period of time. targets to manage metastatic PATIENTS GAIN MORE existing metastases were able to mobilize cancer cells back What if, the researchers thought, they could simply cut developing drugs that stop “Many times, with other cancers, a drug may work for a disease. into the blood, then, Fatatis thought, he would just need off communication between cancer cells and the organs chemokines from engaging time, but then the tumor becomes resistant and comes back A decade later, thanks TIME TO LIVE. ONCE to find a way to keep them there. In the blood, cancer cells they metastasize? Unable to reach their final destination, CX3CR1, thus stranding can- with a vengeance,” he explains. “We haven’t seen that so far.” to funding from various are vulnerable to spontaneous death. “A cytotoxic effect the cells would be rerouted back to the blood, where they cer cells in the bloodstream, Their studies also indicate that their leading compound sources, including the Coul- THE CANCER CELLS achieved without using a cytotoxic drug,” Fatatis explains. could do no harm, and eventually die off or be eliminated where they die. is not toxic. “Unlike chemotherapy drugs, when we treated ter-Drexel Translational Re- Coincidentally, Meucci is an expert in the pathology of che- by other drugs. cancer cells in a dish with our compound, the cells did not search Partnership Program, ARE CONTAINED IN THE mokines — a large family of signaling proteins, which serve Then in 2008, a breakthrough: Fatatis and Meucci iden- CANCER CELL die,” Fatatis says. Fatatis and Meucci were able as the mediators of intercellular communications. Or more tified that the chemokine-receptor pair CX3CR1 was over- All that’s to say that the research team may one day soon to launch their cancer drug simply, “it’s one of the key ways cells talk to each other,” she expressed in both primary prostate tumors and metastatic CX3 CR1 PROTEIN be enrolling patients like Tami Eagle Bowling into a clini- discovery program into Ker- BLOOD’S CIRCULATION… explains. While the function of chemokines in the immune lesions in patients. This observation was extended to breast cal trial. ANTAGONIST beros — a Philadelphia-based system has been well-documented, Meucci was exploring cancer patients in 2010. Further, studies from other groups “I think a new drug to give me more time is much more startup company. THEY BECOME EASIER their lesser-known role in the central nervous system around showed that this particular receptor did more than control CHEMOKINE likely than finding a cure during my lifetime,” Bowling The Coulter-Drexel pro- the same time that her husband was studying metastases. cell migration — it also seemed to promote the growth and says. “I’m hoping to live long enough for the next scientific gram helps researchers com- TARGETS FOR MORE survival of cancer cells. By targeting CX3CR1 then, the re- breakthrough.” mercialize inventions that search team could potentially stop secondary tumors from improve human health, and POTENT TREATMENTS, seeding new, multiple organs, while also shrinking the since its inception 11 years growth of existing lesions. ago, it has awarded nearly $8 LIKE IMMUNOTHERAPY. While a major development, the discovery still only solved one part of the equation. To block the cancer cells, they still needed a drug.
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In the Kid Seat RESEARCHERS ARE GATHERING DATA NEVER BEFORE AVAILABLE ON PEDIATRIC SUBJECTS THAT WILL HELP VEHICLE RESTRAINT In fact, all of this herky-jerky recreates what happens in the microseconds before a car crash. Imagine Mihir’s MANUFACTURERS BUILD SAFER mother, Nimisha Ladva, driving on a highway at a nice clip with Mihir buckled into his seat. A car cuts in front SEATS AND BELTS FOR CHILDREN. of her. She veers back and forth in the hope of avoiding a collision. In that moment, their bodies move wildly side _by Lini S. Kadaba _photo by Tommy Leonardi to side. Mother and son are sharply thrown in and out of the ideal position for their seatbelts to best protect them. Would they survive without injury? Chances are, the adult will be much better protected than the child. That’s because an abundance of data exists on how vehicle restraint systems work with adult test sub- jects. But studies involving child subjects are more rare. The wild ride that Balasubramanian simulated in the lab may provide the crucial answer, particularly in the case of young passengers — and in the process, save lives of children and prevent injuries. “We want to understand what happens during this crash-avoidance phase,” he says. “Even with the best re- ihir steingard settles into a contraption that includes a straint system, if you’re sub-optimally positioned, it may tan bucket seat, the type usually found in the second not provide the best protection.” Mrow of a minivan, and clicks the seatbelt into place. This crash safety study, and two others over the past Over the next hour at Drexel University, the 11-year-old dozen years led by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from suburban Philadelphia takes a ride like none other (CHOP) that also involved Balasubramanian, are the first he has ever experienced before. ever to evaluate actual, living children — not just pediat- He’s headed for a car crash, but at the last moment, ric crash-test dummies or cadavers. he avoids it. Again and again, 10 times in a row, in eight- Currently, boys as young as 9 years old are being tested second bursts. This time, his slender torso slaloms from in a device Balasubramanian calls an oscillating human- right to left. His knees lurch one way, then the other. His accelerator sled. The box-like structure with an auto- right shoulder moves in and out of the seatbelt. mobile seat that slides right to left along an 8-foot track Luckily for him, this is a simulation of a near crash. “It exerts a maximum acceleration of about 0.75g, what Bala- feels like you’re swerving in a car,” Mihir says afterward subramanian describes as “a good poke.” The clues found with a wide smile, likening the experience to an amuse- here are expected to inform the design of crash-test dum- ment park ride. mies and automobile restraint systems in years to come. Watching the test unfold is Sriram Balasubramanian, Balasubramanian is one of those keen on leading a Drexel associate professor in the School of Biomedical the charge. Engineering, Science and Health Systems. “These condi- The team’s initial step, completed in 2016, was to de- tions have never been studied before,” says the 39-year- sign the world’s first and only oscillating sled. The ap- old researcher with a boyish face and rectangular wire- paratus mimics the emergency swerving maneuvers of a rimmed glasses. typical driver by way of low-acceleration time extended (LATE) events, slowing down what actually happens in a blink of an eye.
EXELmagazine.org 25 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
_ONLINE The oscillating sled was shown in an episode of the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet last year and can be viewed at EXELmagazine.org. The decorations make the space more child friendly Crash avoidance tactics are an area within the field of but also serve another role: They reduce motion sickness. impact bio-mechanics that are of increasing interest to So far, Holt says, no one has thrown up. vehicle manufacturers. In the real world, 60 percent of Looking at subjects age 6 to 40 years, it found that dur- Mihir was urged to sit back and relax. Then, showtime! crashes involve some type of avoidance maneuver — usu- ing frontal collisions, children move more than adults be- He was warned the sled would move anytime within a ally either hard braking or, as in this study, swerving — cause of the inherent flexibility of pediatric spines. This is 10-second countdown. When it did, he was unexpectedly according to the Institute for Traffic Accident Research significant. Pediatric crash-test dummies are scaled-down That’s why automotive crash safety has moved away jolted side to side in 6-foot spurts. He kept a smile plas- and Data Analysis in Japan. versions of adult models, which are mainly designed based from crash-injury prevention to actual crash avoidance, tered to his face throughout. Balasubramanian first explored child-injury preven- on cadaver testing. In other words, the child dummy did he says. Afterward, the youngster allows “that was pretty fun. I tion research in 2006, when he joined CHOP as a senior not account for important physiological differences be- Many cars already carry sensing technology to detect liked it.” He also observed that the seat with the inflated research engineer. Since moving to Drexel in 2010, he tween children and adults. Or how bracing — that is, mus- impending crashes and can respond by autonomously ap- bolster held him more securely. “I didn’t flop over,” he has continued this line of work in collaboration with cle tensing — can play a role. plying brakes or swerving out of the way. The LATE re- says. The motorized seatbelt, he adds, “was not as com- CHOP colleagues. “The dummy is only as good as the data that went into search also is proving relevant as the automobile industry fortable as the bolster, but it worked way better.” The LATE sled came together over the span of a year. To- validating it,” Balasubramanian says. shifts toward self-driving vehicles. His mother says the research reassures her. "It’s good gether, CHOP and Drexel colleagues worked with a Califor- That’s why sled tests on child volunteers are so important. The LATE study of 40 boys and men in four age groups to see,” Ladva says, “there is the possibility of safer and nia engineer responsible for various innovative designs “The crash-test dummy has gotten us really far,” Arbo- ranging from 9 to 40 years old examines two different safer cars.” in automotive testing. Then the team assembled the occu- gast says. “But to take that next level and improve on pro- types of seats and five different conditions to document pant compartment from scratch. The imposing structure tection, we have to use other tools.” the amount of movement that occurs during emergency sits in a basement lab inside of One Drexel Plaza at 31st Published in 2009 in the well-regarded Stapp Car Crash maneuvers and the effectiveness of countermeasures. and Market streets. Journal, the work was recognized with a best paper award Occupants are tested in both relaxed and braced posi- In a corner of his office, Balasubramanian keeps a mod- Given that crashes are the leading cause of death and at the 2010 Stapp Car Crash Conference. tions with a regular seatbelt. In another run, subjects el of a pediatric spine. His bookshelves are replete with acquired disability for children, the stakes are high, says Number of children under A subsequent study, “Bumper Car Study No. 2,” used the are put through paces in a relaxed position but with a anatomy, orthopedic and mechanical engineering texts. Kristy Arbogast, co-director of CHOP’s Center for Injury the age of 15 killed in U.S. sled to understand oblique and lateral impacts. It began in motorized seatbelt. Finally, a seat with a back bolster is The white board is crowded with mathematical equations Research and Prevention and principal investigator of 3traffic crashes every day on 2010, the year that Balasubramanian, by then co-director of evaluated with inflation that holds the passenger in place and graphs. the LATE study. Balasubramanian is a co-investigator. average in 2016. CHOP’s Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies, joined and then with a motorized seatbelt but no inflation. Re- He didn’t plan to research child crash safety. After a Since 2003, Takata Corp., the Japanese company known Drexel. Similarly, it showed that the increased mobility of searchers at the University of Virginia will conduct fur- bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Regional En- for manufacturing a large share of seatbelts and airbags, children results in inaccurate estimates of occupant mo- ther studies at higher speeds on cadavers. gineering College in Jalandhar, India, Balasubramanian has awarded $5.4 million in grants for the studies, includ- tion during tests. It also evaluated the countermeasure of “Through these five different tests, we want to under- pursued graduate studies in the United States. At Ketter- ing $2.5 million for the current, five-year project. motorized seatbelts, which alert to an impending crash stand the effects of age, size, bracing, the restraint type ing University in Flint, Michigan, he traveled with his According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Ad- (using radar and other vehicle sensors) by tightening any and the resulting forces,” Balasubramanian says. professor to Wayne State University in Detroit to perform ministration’s most recent data, every day on average in belt slack. The study demonstrated the upper torso of an Before Mihir entered the sled, various measurements cadaver experiments. The lifelong vegetarian says he was 2016, three children under the age of 15 were killed in U.S. occupant is better kept in place during evasive maneuvers were taken, including his torso width, seated height and not fazed: traffic crashes, and in 2015, nearly 500 injured. That adds when the seat belt is motorized. distance between core to knees. Dressed in a tank top and “You have this human cadaver and you have to instru- up to 1,233 deaths — about 3 percent of all fatalities in Over the years, Balasubramanian and Arbogast have athletic shorts, the sixth grader’s body and face were “ ment it … and essentially make it a crash-test dummy. 2016 — and 178,000 injured. worked closely with Takata engineers looking to offer pro- prepped with surface EMG electrodes to measure muscle Through these It was very interesting for me to see how these studies Historically, motor vehicle crash death and injury rates tection beyond current requirements, according to Mike activity and photo-reflective markers to capture motion. are going to inform what will be. Sometimes we take for have plummeted with the advent of better restraint sys- Scavnicky, who was until recently the vice president of The occupant compartment has eight motion-capture five different granted that a seatbelt does this, an airbag does this. tems and other safety measures to protect vehicle occu- core engineering for Takata North America. Last summer, cameras and three GoPro cameras located in the front, Somebody designed it and tested it through these rigor- pants. The safety administration’s statistics on children Takata declared bankruptcy after faulty inflators on its sides and overhead. tests, we want to ous means.” represent a 27 percent drop in the number killed com- airbags were linked to at least 14 deaths and the largest For 30 minutes before the simulation, Mihir did a understand the Based on his research, he secured a biomedical engi- pared to 2007 and a 14 percent decline in those injured worldwide automotive safety recall in history; most of its variety of exercises (curling his bicep, flexing his quad, neering doctoral spot at Wayne State to test knee-injury compared to 2006. assets were acquired by Key Safety Systems in November. pulling on a bar to engage his trapezii) that measured effects of age, tolerance in humans through study of human cadaver Of course, a death of even one child is one too many. 27% Despite the change in Takata’s fortunes, the research maximum voluntary isometric contractions and helped knees. According to Balasubramanian, the results inform "This type of work is necessary to chip away at these num- Drop in the number will continue under a new company named Joyson Safety establish a baseline for comparisons with the test data, size, bracing, the standards in Europe and Japan for the knee slider, a type bers,” Arbogast says, “until we have zero.” of children under the Systems, says Scavnicky, who is staying on in a similar explains Christine M. Holt, a 28-year-old Drexel doctoral of sensor used in their crash-test dummies to determine
Arguably, the easier fixes have been done. What’s left age of 15 killed in 2016 role. Joyson will continue to support the project and use student in biomedical science who Balasubramanian and restraint type vehicle star ratings. is more complex and goes beyond the dynamics during compared to 2007. the results to improve restraint designs. “We design to the Arbogast co-advise. “My study might have dinged many stars for many a crash. current industry standards,” he says. “But we also want to More than most, Holt has a vested interest in this re- and the resulting cars,” he says with a wide smile. “But it’s a good thing. make sure our restraint systems perform well in the real search and the tests she helps run and analyze. When Bal- forces.“ You go back and redesign whatever structure and get a world across all the occupants of the vehicle.” asubramanian invited her to join the LATE study in 2014, better star rating.” Current standards assume the occupant is centered on she had just lost a friend to car crash two days earlier. Since joining Drexel’s faculty, he has expanded his In 2006, Balasubramanian spent the first day of his new the seat in a neutral, upright posture at the time of the “I felt it was the way the universe was telling me that research focus to also include the development of com- job at CHOP at New Jersey’s Six Flags amusement park — crash. Of course, that is not reality — certainly not when this is something I should get involved with,”she recalls. putational models to explore surgical interventions for all in the name of serious science, of course. it comes to children. Holt, who was a key member of the team that built the scoliosis. Balasubramanian was rigging bumper cars with accel- “Seatbelts might be perfectly positioned before a crash, occupant compartment on the oscillator sled, describes From the get-go, Balasubramanian has been attracted erometers to measure speeds as the cars banged about. and then, when the swerving starts, you come out of the the research as “amazing. … This project provides the to translational work. “Usually, academic research sits His project was to create a safe human accelerator, safe seatbelt or move into the seatbelt,” says Balasubramanian, missing puzzle piece to crash safety.” Its translational on a shelf for a few years, often never seeing the light of enough to study children using low-speed impacts. who drives a 2006 Honda Odyssey that he jokes barely nature has convinced her to pursue industry work after day,” he says. “This is very applied research.” The bumper car data was the ideal foundation for the runs. “If you are completely out of the seatbelt and then go her expected graduation in 2019, she says. When it comes to car safety, this project’s sled tests will first frontal-impact sled suitable for testing pediatric vol- hit a pole, well, good luck.” The baseline tests completed, Mihir climbed two steps ultimately lead to better-designed restraints. unteers in non-injurious, but dynamic, conditions. The re- and entered the sled. He faced a white wall with large “It is directly going to go into an automobile environ- search conducted from 2006 to 2009 became known infor- traffic decals and street signs. Dashed lane markings ment,” he says, “and it’s going to save somebody’s life.” mally as the “Bumper Car Study,” Balasubramanian says. wound across the floor.
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_ONLINE To see more of the fossil samples from the expedition, visit EXELmagazine.org. PALEONTOLOGY _FISHING FOR FOSSILS IN ANTARCTICA
An expedition to one of the most inhospitable climates on the planet brought home a treasure trove of 390-million-year-old fossils for researchers at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
One of the over 630 cataloged specimens the research team shipped back from Antarctica. The samples shipped back weighed 500 pounds.
_TED DAESCHLER Daeschler is an as- sociate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and associate curator of vertebrate zoology and vice president for systematic biol- ogy and the library at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
NO_MAN’S_LAND ast winter, an interna- They went in search of Academy as a center of re- “lobed” fins that enabled Transantarctic Range, a to find centers of evolution- The team explored teeth, and the remains of “This is the closest thing to being tional research team evidence of the evolution search on Devonian-age Ant- them in some cases to portion of the 2 percent of ary change,” Daeschler says deposits of sandstone and early ray-finned and lobe- on Mars here on Earth. There Lincluding Ted Dae- of fishes during a critical arctic fossils. The samples move on land for short the southernmost conti- shortly before the journey, siltstone in a portion of finned fish. are no living things like birds schler from the Academy of interval in Earth's history shipped back weighed 500 stretches. Their descen- nent that is not covered in which required two days of Antarctica that was much The trip was part of a or plants. There’s lichen and Natural Sciences of Drexel that saw the rise of the pounds and included 630 dants gave rise to all ice year-round, in Decem- travel to New Zealand fol- warmer and wetter 390 three-year research grant microbes. That’s it.” University went prospect- first limbed animals, and cataloged specimens. limbed animals on Earth. ber 2016 and January 2017. lowed by an eight-hour leg million years ago than it funded by the National Sci- — Ted Daeschler ing for fossils in Antarc- came back with an array of The Devonian fauna Daeschler and a team “We’re looking at the on a military cargo plane. is now. They found bony ence Foundation. A second
tica, and they found what 390-million-year-old fossils included certain species of d a e s c h l e r of researchers from four diversity and distribution of “Hopefully we’ll also find plates from long-ago ar- expedition is slated for
they were after. so large it qualifies the fish that evolved muscular universities traveled to the vertebrates there and trying species new to science.” mored fish, primitive shark winter 2018–19. t e d
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EMISSIONS BIOLOGY POLLUTION ECOLOGY _PLANT POWER _AN UNEXPECTED GUEST _MOSS AND HIDDEN POLLUTION _YOUNG URBAN SCIENTISTS
he clean power Plan as for power plants,” says Researchers at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel A sampling of naturally growing Orthotrichum lyelli our hundred fourth-, to increase urban biodiver- finalized by the Envi- Shannon Capps, an assistant University found a foot-tall, dinosaur-era alga that had never moss from Portland, Oregon, exposed previously fifth- and sixth-grade sity for their schoolyard Tronmental Protection professor in Drexel’s College previously been discovered in North America. undetected sources of industrial pollution. Fstudents in the feder- and neighborhood. The Agency in 2015 wouldn’t just of Engineering and lead ally designated “Promise project began in September be good for human health. author of the study. “With magine you’re at work oss, that ubiquitous Michael, both associate Zone” of West Philadelphia 2016 and will run through Regulation of carbon diox- policies similar to those in and a cheetah pokes tree hugger of the professors in the Dornsife will have the opportunity August 2019. ide emissions in the energy the Clean Power Plan, we’re Iits head through your MPacific Northwest, School of Public Health, as to study local ecology with “This is a wonderful op- sector could also enhance projecting more than a 15 window. can be an inexpensive, ef- co-authors for the study, resources made possible portunity to have Philadel- _NANCY SONGER yields of food plants and percent reduction in corn That’s roughly what fective tool for identifying which was published in Sci- through a three-year, $1.17 Songer is dean of the phia youth partner with trees, likely saving farmers productivity losses due to Richard McCourt and his pollutants in cities where it ence of the Total Environment. million grant from the Na- School of Education. professional scientists millions of dollars, accord- ozone exposure, compared colleagues experienced commonly grows, according The research team collect- tional Science Foundation. to gain an understand- ing to research published by to business as usual, and when they came across to a Drexel study. ed Orthotrichum lyelli moss in The project is called ing of local science and a Drexel researcher and her about half of that for cotton Lychnothamnus barbatus, a The study of naturally late 2013 using a modified, “Philly Scientists: Map- “This is a wonderful apply their knowledge in colleagues at Syracuse Uni- and soybeans. Depending on large green alga that was growing tree moss at more randomized, grid-based ping Biodiversity of the important ways, including versity, Boston University market value fluctuations thought to have died out in than 300 sites across Port- sampling strategy. Philadelphia Promise opportunity to have making sound recom- and Harvard University. of these crops over the next the Western Hemisphere land, Oregon, was a joint When tested, the Zone.” The goal is to foster Philadelphia youth mendations to improve long before the last of the project between the U.S. samples indicated two immersive science learning our neighborhood,” says SCENARIO 1 POWER PLANT IMPROVEMENTS cheetahs roamed here. Department of Agriculture’s distinct hotspots for cad- experiences for students partner with pro- Nancy Songer, dean of the SCENARIO 2 ELECTRICITY SECTOR IMPROVEMENTS “This means mainly that Forest Service and research- mium. These fell outside who live or attend school School of Education. “We SCENARIO 3 CARBON TAX IMPLEMENTATION fessional scientists CORN we don’t know as much ers from Drexel’s Dornsife of the area where cad- in the Promise Zone, a fed- saw firsthand the positive about what’s out there as School of Public Health. mium was expected to be eral designation given to a to gain an under- impact a project like this SOYBEAN we could,” says McCourt. _RICHARD MCCOURT Moss has been established higher, where companies handful of socioeconomi- had on children in Detroit, COTTON “Lychnothamnus barbatus’ _JOHN D. HALL as a bio-indicator for chemi- with permits for cadmium cally disadvantaged urban standing of local and we are thrilled to survival isn’t, per se, eco- McCourt is a professor cals in the air for some emission were located. communities earmarked bring a similar opportuni- POTATO in the College of Arts science and apply logically earth-shaking, but and Sciences and direc- time, but this study used Within each hotspot, for preferential economic ty to children just beyond it changes our view of what tor of the Center for the moss in a new way. there was a stained glass development treatment. their knowledge Drexel’s campus.” the algal flora of North Systematic Biology and “What’s unique about manufacturer that used Drexel’s School of Educa- Researchers have Evolution at the Acad- in important ways, America is composed of and emy of Natural Sciences this study is that we used cadmium (sometimes tion researchers are part- adapted an existing 2.7% 0.5% 0.3% 1.4% inspires us to keep hunting of Drexel University; moss to track down previ- used in pigments) in pro- nering with Philadelphia including making mobile app to fit Phila- 15.7% 6.7% 2.8% 8.4% Hall is an Academy for more new finds.” researcher. ously unknown pollution duction. Neither company teachers and out-of-school delphia’s unique environ- 12.1% 3.8% 2.6% 6.6% A paper on the find, fea- sources in a complex urban was required to have providers to provide local sound recommenda- ment and the age range Researchers estimated productivity reductions of indica- turing mapping and analy- environment with many cadmium emissions per- students with science, tions to improve our of participating students. tor crops and tree species resulting from three sets of sis by Academy researcher possible sources,” says Sarah mits and both voluntarily technology, engineering This May, three teachers carbon emission reductions policy options. John D. Hall and lead-au- McCourt says. “But we Jovan, a research lichenolo- stopped using cadmium and math (STEM) learning neighborhood.” and 75 students served as thored by Kenneth Karol of had to look at it closely to gist with the Forest Service. after the monitoring re- opportunities. — Nancy Songer “Urban Animal Trackers” According to the study, few years, that could mean the New York Botanical Gar- confirm the identity and Jovan was joined by Geof- sults were made public. The initiative builds to gather and analyze data reduction in carbon, nitro- gains of tens of millions of den, was published in the also extract the DNA to frey Donovan, Demetrios upon previous NSF-devel- for their solutions. gen and sulfur emissions dollars for farmers.” American Journal of Botany. confirm.” Gatziolis, Michael Amacher oped mobile apps and cur- Moss samples from coal power plants The study was the first The team took algae sam- Much like cheetahs, and Vicente Monleon from indicated two previ- ricular activities to design would lead to a decrease to model the ecosystem ples from 14 lakes in Wis- Lychnothamnus barbatus is the Forest Service, and ously unknown hot and study an immersive, spots (in red) for in ground-level ozone — a impact of policy options for consin and two in Minne- relatively rare in the areas Igor Burstyn and Yvonne high cadmium levels. mentor-guided biodiversity known inhibitor of plant reducing carbon dioxide sota between 2012 and 2016 it is currently found. A The black dots on field experience and career growth. By modeling the emissions. and found the surprising “stonewort” type of alga, it the map show areas awareness program. where samples EPA’s reductions for the The team used three results. The only record of is known to inhabit areas were taken. Students are learning to year 2020, the research- policy scenarios and they the alga on the western side of Europe and Australasia identify all species of ani- ers found that they would compared each policy of the Atlantic Ocean was in (the area of Australia, New mals, birds and insects over provide a significant boost scenario with a “business- Argentinian Cretaceous-era Zealand and Papua New a two-square-mile region extension to the productivity of key as-usual” reference case fossils from the same time Guinea). located in Mantua, Powel- indicator crops, such as that represents current period as Tyrannosaurus rex, But this species actu- ton and West Philadelphia wisconsin corn, cotton, soybean and clean air policies as well as and it had never been seen ally grows relatively through the NSF Innovative of
potato, as well as several energy demand and market in North America. tall and has a pretty service Technology Experiences for tree species. projections. “Almost right away we distinct shape to it, Students and Teachers (IT- forest university “Our findings sug- “The option most similar knew we might be dealing raising the question of . EST) project. Scientists from , s . u gest that crops like corn, to the Clean Power Plan has with something previ- how it was missed. , the Academy of Natural Sci- soybeans and cotton could the greatest estimated pro- ously thought to be extinct “We might not have ences of Drexel University jovan skawinski benefit from substantial ductivity gains for the crops because it was clearly differ- been missing it — it will guide students in the paul sarah : productivity gains under and trees that we studied,” ent from any other species might be a new in- : study of biodiversity and
moderate carbon standards Capps says. seen in North America,” vader,” McCourt says. alga map the generation of solutions
30 EXELmagazine.org 31 _NATURE / ENVIRONMENT _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
ICHTHYOLOGY ICHTHYOLOGY ECOLOGY _COMMON CORE _TINY CATFISH _SOMETHING’S IN THE WATER _MUSEUMS? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT An excavated Belgian quarry provides some of the t took nearly four Researchers have developed a new way to measure A new project offers patrons a chance to discover museums in their area and museum leaders earliest evidence of schools of different fish species decades, but an elusive freshwater quality using microscopic algae called diatoms. a chance to better understand their communities — all in the form of a website and mobile app. using a common nursery to raise their young. Ieyeless catfish measur- ing less than an inch has he key to measuring A colorized team of scientists The abundance of juve- finally been given a name dangerous levels of scanning electron uncovered a rare fos- niles from three different and a detailed description Tnutrients in freshwa- microscope image here are more than Asil site believed to be types of placoderm fossils by researchers from the ter streams might lie in of a diatom. 30,000 museums among the earliest evidence — Grossilepis rikiki, Turrisaspis Academy of Natural Science the microscopic organisms Tspread across the Unit- of different fish species us- strudensis and Phyllolepis undu- of Drexel University. swimming through them. ed States, and a new online 30,000 ing the same nursery. lata — opens questions for A team largely of resource can tell you about Approximate number of organizations in the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ A quarry in Strud, Bel- scientists like Ted Daeschler, SMALL_FRY researchers from the Acad- every one of them. Museum Universe Data File whose information gium, excavated between an associate professor in the Shown here at emy of Natural Sciences MuseumStat is the first is included in the MuseumStat system. 2004 and 2015 by French College of Arts and Sciences full-size, one of (namely research scientist comprehensive documenta- and Belgian scientists, was and associate curator of two Micromyzon and professor in the College tion of museums across the home to multiple species vertebrate zoology at the orinoco specimen caught of Arts and Sciences Don country. It was developed of placoderms, which are Academy of Natural Sci- in the Orinoco River were Charles, researcher Thomas by Drexel researchers in the extinct, armored fish that ences of Drexel University. finally placed in the taxon- Belton, and former rsearch Westphal College of Media represent some of the Daeschler co-authored the omy nearly 40 years after scientist Sonja Hausmann) Arts & Design to help mu- earliest jawed vertebrates paper with Sébastien Olive, being found. The species analyzed data from 1,400 seum leaders better under- on Earth. The site yielded then a post-doctoral fellow pair provide an example freshwater Mid-Atlantic stand museums and their smaller-sized fossils show- at the Academy. of the evolutionary and streams to see whether a role in our communities, ing that immature placo- “This is the first time biotic link between fishes group of tiny algae called and its associated iOS app, derms occupied the area that it can be demonstrated in the Orinoco. diatoms might be efficient MuseumFinder, can reveal in the Devonian period, an that several species seem indicators of overly high museums just around the era predating the dinosaurs to have used a common Two specimens of the nutrient levels, termed corner through its location- by hundreds of millions of nursery,” Daeschler says. “It catfish, now namedMicro - “eutrophication.” based GPS search. years. No mature fish were makes us wonder: Has that myzon orinoco, were caught Eutrophication — caused “This project is a direct Art found, indicating that the been a common reproduc- in the Orinoco River near by runoff of agricultural result of how we can lever- Botanical fossils were part of a nurs- tive strategy through time?” Ciudad Guyana in Venezu- fertilizer, sewage and other age the power of data and Children's ery, according to a study Ultimately, Olive and ela in an expedition from forms of pollution — feeds technology to help the General/Uncategorized published in PLOS One. Daeschler hope the Strud 1978–79. But taxonomy isn’t algae and plants in water nation’s museums and the Historical Society site provides a lens through so simple as picking out a to the point of overgrowth. communities they serve,” which scientists can study name, says John Lundberg, The algal blooms can cause says Neville Vakharia, an History FISHING_HOLE current conditions. emeritus professor in the low dissolved oxygen and associate professor and Natural History & Science An artist’s depiction of “Geologists say that the College of Arts and Sciences fish kills. surface-attached species; di- research director, as well Science & Technology how fish used the Strud present is the key to under- and emeritus curator of The team found a new atoms in water considered as program director of arts Zoo nursery ecosystem, standing the past. But we the Academy, who was way to use diatoms’ partic- impaired were motile — administration in West- including the three dif- can also say that the past is the chief scientist on the ular sensitivity to nutrients having the ability to move. phal. “In an increasingly FOUND_ART ferent placoderm species the key to understanding expedition. as a measuring stick. The changeover occurred digital and knowledge- MuseumStat is a crucial tool for museum discovered at the site. the future,” Olive says. “We knew what these They call it the Diatom primarily at the split driven world, MuseumStat leaders, researchers, advocates and fish were upon capture,” Biological Condition Gradi- between level three and can serve as the means by policy makers working to understand Lundberg says. “But the ent, or BCG. “The BCG has level four on the biological which museums can better museums' scope and seeking to create devil is in the details.” an advantage over other condition gradient. tell their stories, reach exhibits and programs tied to their sur-
Careful examination nutrient indicator metrics Biological condition gra- inter new audiences and demon- rounding communities, says Vakharia.
W
A Grossilepis rikiki and comparison of existing because it can be used to dients methods were creat- strate their impact.” iane species must be done to prop- identify boundaries along ed by the U.S. Environmen- D The project developed : erly identify a new animal the nutrient concentra- tal Protection Agency to thanks to a cooperative
iatom B species, and that can take tion gradient that separate provide objective standards D research grant from the Selecting a specific museum from Turrisaspis strudensis ; the search bar will display a page for
some time. Lundberg and unimpaired from impaired for assessing the health of one Institute for Museum and the museum and show its location on Tiago Carvalho, an Academy sites,” says Charles. freshwater systems. The Library Services. plos Information helps to Indicates community Data help research- a map with surrounding museums / researcher who is also a fac- The Academy-based scale ranges from level Vakharia worked with plan programming and health and well-being, ers to understand the within a one-mile default radius. C outreach, improve accessible through potential reach of mu-
Phyllolepis undulata ulty member at the Federal team’s research found that one, a pristine waterway, hameon students from Westphal
A - casemaking to grant- maps, charts and seums in communities. University of Rio Grande do the composition of diatom to level six, which stands and the College of Comput- Below the map are data on indi - B makers, and generate graphs. A wide range of Data are provided for viduals and households in the area Sul, were able to co-author species correlated with for the most ecologically ing & Informatics to gather analyses to enhance museums are identified download to allow for jacquot along with regional and statewide B community impact. as community assets and wide use and analyses. C the description of the species New Jersey water quality. stressed habitats. and decipher data and plan comparisons of museums. potential partners.
A with ichthyological collabo- Diatom species in waters Without a uniform scale, justine and code the components. : C rators based in California, considered unimpaired states are left to their own
Alabama and Brazil. were largely made up of devices to grade their water. strud
32 EXELmagazine.org 33 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018 14 20 18 17 9 11 12 10 4 5 3 6 16
HEART
TISSUE 13 BONES
BRAIN 8
PROCEDURAL 15 MISC a drexel education has always been about solutions. Every day inside classrooms MUSCLES and labs, students and faculty work alongside each other in search of a better procedure, a stronger material, a smarter gadget — a continual collaboration in 24 23 22 innovation. Perhaps no school within the University epitomizes this more than
BY the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems (BioMED).
BODY In the spring of 2017, in a quiet room filled with posters presented by BioMED seniors, the next generation of solutions was on display. Over the course of two days, students unveiled their final projects, each one answering a specific 7 question that has troubled the medical community: How can clinicians in the field better identify when a traumatic brain injury has occurred? How can doc- tors apply epidural steroid injections without risking nerve damage? Is there a way to deliver melatonin in tune with nature’s rhythms so patients can sleep through the night and limit the effects of dementia? And so on. 1 2 Most of the projects detailed in the following pages are only exciting pre- liminary concepts — for now. But each is a blueprint for a plausible product or process that addresses some of the trickiest problems in medicine.
_by Ben Seal / _illustrations by Katie Scott DESIGN 19 21
EXELmagazine.org 35 _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018 TISSUE 3 4 BUILDING BETTER A SMARTER WAY TO GRIP IMITATIONS OF TISSUE WITHOUT DAMAGE BIOLOGICAL TISSUE _PROBLEM 7 8 _PROBLEM Laparoscopic graspers are surgical Electrospinning, a common technique tools used in minimally invasive A BETTER OPTIMIZING HEART used in tissue engineering studies, procedures to safely manipulate UNDERSTANDING ULTRASOUND fabricates nanofiber matrices with tissue. No method currently exists OF BONE IMPACTS FOR BONE exceptional mechanical strength to modulate the force applied by RECOVERY made from biocompatible polymers. surgeons, which often leads to tear- _PROBLEM But current spinning devices can only ing and bruising of tissue, resulting There are 200,000 midshaft _PROBLEM enable in-plane control of the fibers’ in greater patient pain and longer clavicle fractures each year Osteoporosis — the decrease alignment. A tool is needed that can recovery times. and the bone alignment is of bone density common in better mimic the 3D architecture of typically off by less than two elderly patients — makes biological tissues. _SOLUTION centimeters. Whether this patients more susceptible to By placing sensors at either end of amount of malalignment fractures, 2 million of which _SOLUTION the grasper, along with a braking impacts shoulder mechanics are caused by the condition A new spinning device that allows for mechanism and an electromagnet is not understood. Research- each year. Ultrasound is continuous through-plane control in the middle of it all, the team ers need a device capable of beneficial for wound heal- 2 by integrating a rotating collection designed a tool that can apply just creating a known malalign- ing, but the main existing plate to collect an aligned nanofiber the right amount of pressure to grip ment so that studies of product is expensive, has A PUMP TO LIMIT layer and rotate it, allowing another difficult parts of the body while not cadavers can investigate the a limited treatment time LYMPHEDEMA layer to collect on top and enabling crossing the damage threshold. The impact on shoulder motion. and has a non-rechargeable AFTER HEART through-plane control. The team’s device could reduce the risk of tis- battery pack. 1 FAILURE testing revealed continuous control sue injury and improve the surgical _SOLUTION of the collection plate angle, which training process. The team created a device _SOLUTION CHANNELING _PROBLEM would allow the device to produce with a PVC crossbar and a By optimizing an ultrasound BLOOD FOR In patients with congestive scaffolds more closely aligned with 5 cantilever beam that fixes transducer driver circuit PEDIATRIC heart failure (expected to native biological tissue. 6 the clavicle in place on a for low frequency and low HEART PATIENTS be a population of roughly 3 A DEEP DIVE TO DIAGNOSE cadaver to allow doctors to pressure, the team designed million by 2020), inad- TISSUE INJURIES A STAGE TO STUDY simulate different amounts a lightweight, wearable, _PROBLEM equate blood flow can lead TISSUE SAMPLES of malalignment. The tether-free and battery-op- There are 400 pediatric to lymphedema, in which _PROBLEM team’s prototype minimizes erated product to stimulate heart transplant surgeries excess fluid in the veins Deep tissue injuries — pressure _PROBLEM rotation and movement bone recovery. The elec- each year, and 10,000 to causes swelling in the legs. ulcers that spread outward to a There is currently no way to measure between its components tronic driver successfully 20,000 pediatric patients There is no currently avail- patient’s skin and affect 250,000 the nanoscale properties of a tissue to prevent bending during created the appropriate each year would ben- able, minimally invasive patients annually — aren’t typically sample under strain in a simulated testing, and was found to tone burst and repetition efit from a long-term blood treatment device. detected until they’ve progressed physiological environment. This lim- withstand the same loads as frequency to be effective, pump, but there are no total to the skin’s surface, at which point its the capacity for research into ma- an intact bone model. The potentially reducing recov- artificial hearts approved _SOLUTION surgical intervention is required. terials such as prosthetics, synthetic device has the potential to ery time for patients. for pediatric clinical use. A roller pump the size of There are no ideal methods for tissue grafts and athletic clothing. be used in cadaver studies a pacemaker that can be measuring the stiffness of different to examine the effect of _SOLUTION implanted in a patient tissue samples in order to identify _SOLUTION clavicular malalignment on An optimized channel for to overcome pressure in pressure ulcers. The team designed a device with a shoulder mechanics. BONES the blood being moved by the venous system and stage to hold a tensile specimen and a pediatric cardiac pump, return lymphatic fluid into _SOLUTION a surrounding fluid chamber to pro- allowing the flow from a circulation. The acrylic A 3D-printed, handheld design vide support. Grips secure the ends patient’s pulmonary vein to and aluminum roller that houses a piezoelectric finger of the tissue and strain is applied, al- be distributed uniformly to pump prototype the team that can measure the elasticity of lowing researchers to take measure- both the left and right ven- designed could advance the materials in the human body at the ments using atomic force microscopy tricle. A flat profile would development of an implant- depths where deep tissue injuries and better understand materials. allow the pump to fit into a able device that would be typically originate. The device offers The product could reinforce current child’s chest, with shunts to able to alleviate lymphatic precise measurements that could research and generate new research redistribute flow to all sides congestion and mitigate improve the quality of life for at-risk that would have benefits for surgical of the pump and peaked the potential byproducts of patients and open doors for further and materials science applications, edges to help guide the flow. heart failure. diagnostic applications. not to mention sports.
1 TEAM Samantha Cassel, Kelsey Chung, Raymond Dulman, Kelly Fox and Maneesha Sahni / ADVISER Associate Professor Amy Throckmorton, School of 5 TEAM Alice Alderson, Luyando Chibwe, Peter Esslinger, Arlene Genevieve Offemaria and Kevin Yeamans / ADVISER Professor Wan Shih, School of Bio- Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 2 TEAM Sherika Gordon, Sarah Haynes, Jennifer Patten, Khyati Prasad and Ashley Ramirez / ADVISER medical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 6 TEAM Jonathan Amora, Tara Jordan, Leif Malm, Kawyn Somachandra and Anthony Young / ADVISER Associate Professor Amy Throckmorton, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 3 TEAM Brandon Eng, James Kirwan, Alexander Mari- Assistant Professor Lin Han, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 7 TEAM Seth Greber, Margaret Gunn, Kristin Irons, Alicia ner, Ravi Shah, Michael Shmukler and Brendan Sweeney / ADVISERS Assistant Professor Lin Han, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Sys- Rusnak and Cassandra Tu / ADVISER Associate Teaching Professor Joseph Sarver, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems tems; and Biao Han, PhD candidate, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 4 TEAM Zachary Block, Matthew Bolopue, Eric Barbalace, 8 TEAM Ajo Joseph, Kevin Kunju, Mohana Nagda, Neel Patel and Sunil Shah / ADVISERS Richard B. Beard Distinguished University Professor Peter William Dackis and Allison Grasmeder / ADVISER Associate Professor Sriram Balasubramanian, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems Lewin and Assistant Professor Kara Spiller, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 36 EXELmagazine.org 37 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 20182016 BRAIN 11 12 PROCEDURAL IDENTIFYING MEASURING BRAIN SYNAPSES TO OXYGENATION _SOLUTION TREAT BRAIN TO IDENTIFY 14 To increase safety and effectiveness, INJURIES TRAUMATIC maximize epidural space while the INJURIES A NEW PROCESS TO patient is seated, and provide rigid _PROBLEM 13 PREPARE PATIENTS FOR support to keep the patient in place, Traumatic brain injuries _PROBLEM IMAGE SCANS the team created a two-part device are responsible for nearly Traumatic brain injury is MEASURING A SCALPEL’S with a head piece attached to a table one-third of all injury-re- diagnosed in 2.5 million FORCE TO MINIMIZE _PROBLEM via nylon straps and an L-frame with lated deaths and impact 1.7 patients each year using MISUSE Traumatic brain injuries can be di- a seat-belt system to slide under million people each year. To MRI or CT scan machines agnosed using imaging devices, and a seat cushion. With an adjustable date, no clinical treatments that are very large and not _PROBLEM one way to prepare for imaging is to suspension, it would work for any exist to regenerate dam- portable. No point-of-care Scalpel misuse causes 18 percent induce hypercapnia, a state in which patient, reducing risk by securing aged synaptic connections. devices exist to monitor of injuries in the operating room. a body contains an excess amount of their position while allowing for quick Emerging genetic therapies traumatic brain injuries. Current training methods for scalpel carbon dioxide. The current technol- release in case of an emergency. 9 show some promise in creat- use include informal apprentice- ogy used to induce hypercapnia is ing new synaptic connec- _SOLUTION ship, synthetic models and computer bulky, immobile, takes a long time to MAPPING NEURAL 10 tions; however, preliminary The team created an oxim- simulations. A virtual reality simula- set up and uses external gas sources. CONNECTIONS IN therapy screening in ani- etry module that can be tor could be a more cost-effective THE BRAIN A NEW WAY mals costs too much money used to measure oxygen- and more portable option for surgical _SOLUTION TO DIAGNOSE and time. ation level in brain tissue training, but a simulator is only effec- By recycling a patient’s own carbon _PROBLEM DYSLEXIA using the InfraScan device, tive if the user can be prepared for dioxide in a re-breathing process, A lot of time, money and ef- _SOLUTION including an interface a real-world clinical environment by similar to what happens when a per- fort are spent trying to map _PROBLEM The team designed an in display that allows for easy getting accurate force feedback on son breathes into a paper bag over 16 the brain and understand Early diagnosis of language- vitro, cell culture assay to operation. The device could their scalpel use. and over, the team designed a device its neural connections, but based learning disabilities screen genetically engi- improve pre-hospital treat- that can effectively achieve and main- ADAPTING INFRARED current methods for creat- is key to treatment, but neered proteins capable of ment of traumatic brain _SOLUTION tain hypercapnic levels of carbon IMAGING TO RATS ing a connectome map are there is no gold standard establishing novel synaptic injuries by allowing health Using 3D-printed blade holders dioxide. Using the patient’s own lungs all manual, leaving room for at the moment. Dyslexia connections. By quantifying care providers and field capable of testing scalpel blades an- as an external gas source, it could _PROBLEM human error and operator often comes in tandem with synaptic contacts with fluo- clinicians to quickly and ef- gled at 0, 25 and 45 degrees, and a be the first portable, lightweight op- Strokes affect 800,000 people bias. The only fully mapped other issues, such as ADHD, rescent confocal microscopy, fectively evaluate cerebral platform layered with neoprene rub- tion to promote early intervention in every year and are the fifth-leading organism is the nematode that can make it difficult the team created an assay oxygenation and determine ber and pig skin, the team was able cases of traumatic brain injury. cause of death in the United States. worm, so an automated for a child to sit still long that will support future re- when one has occurred. to calculate the average amount of Research is needed to develop our mapping process would enough for psychological search, presenting a possible force directly exerted on the skin to understanding of the physiology present significant room for and neurological exams to step forward for treating create an incision. The work could of strokes in order to create more advancement. properly diagnose. traumatic brain injuries. lay the foundation for transcribing effective preventive measures and the physical loads applied when 15 regenerative treatments, and that _SOLUTION _SOLUTION making an incision and provide a research is conducted in rats. Innova- A computational pipeline The infrared spectroscopy protocol for acquiring biomechanical A STABILIZING SEAT FOR tive imaging methods are needed that can identify major system (fNIRS) can allow data for future uses. STEROID INJECTIONS to better assess information from neural structures, compile doctors to measure oxygen animal models. the results into a con- levels in the brain, which _PROBLEM nectome map and adja- has different patterns in There are 9 million epidural steroid _SOLUTION cency matrix, and perform individuals with dyslexia as injections each year in the United Infrared imaging is one way to without technical failures. compared to regular readers, States to relieve pain associated measure the amount of oxygen in Using a collection of MAT- easing diagnosis. The team with inflammation, but 47 percent brain tissue. By creating a piece of LAB scripts, the team used designed a wireless device of procedures involve uninten- imaging technology small enough to scanning electron micro- lightweight enough (less tional nerve injury caused by sudden fit on a rat’s skull, weighing less than scope image data as an in- than 50 grams) to be wear- movement. There is no device on the 10 percent of its body weight and put; analyzed, filtered and able and mobile but still market to stabilize a patient’s neck allowing unrestrained movement, identified the images; and transmit the results quanti- and allow room for medical profes- the team’s project opens up research output a connectome map fying an individual’s oxygen sionals to safely operate. possibilities for studies using infrared as an image and matrix, levels up to 10 meters. In the imaging on animals. There is a niche identifying more than 96 end, it could give dyslexic market of researchers whose work percent of cell bodies and students the same opportu- could greatly benefit from custom- axonal pixels along the way. nities as any of their peers. ized devices for such imaging.
9 TEAM Edgar Cardenas, Melissa DuBois, Andrew Kaiser, Rea Parikh and Eaindra Tin Latt / ADVISER Research Assistant Professor Will Dampier, Col- 13 TEAM Muammar Johnson, Haiyue Lu and Mashaal Syed / ADVISER Professor Wan Shih, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health lege of Medicine 10 TEAM Valeria Beckhoff Ferrero, Tushaar Godbole, Eshiemhomo Kadiri, Michael Iskhakov and Durand O’Meara / ADVISER Meltem Systems 14 TEAM Stephen Brown, Thomas Lightfoot-Vidal, Ashley Malone, Yerram Pratusha Reddy and Joseph Sincavage / ADVISER Meltem Izzetoglu, Izzetoglu, research professor, Villanova University 11 TEAM Yiyang Deng, Ayan Desai, Xinyi Lu and Sohil Patel / ADVISER Assistant Professor Catherine research professor, Villanova University 15 TEAM Matthew Bova, Tyler Miller, Ashley Moy, Amanda Tilles and Gregory Toci / ADVISER Assistant Teach- von Reyn, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 12 TEAM Christopher Cox, Murynia Hernandez, Anna Lu, Kaitlyn Money and ing Professor Marek Swoboda, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 16 TEAM Daniel Finnegan, Andrew Joseph, Marina Louis, Beverly Tomita / ADVISERS Associate Research Professor Hasan Ayaz, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems; Research Profes - Trevor Montez and Michal Swoboda / ADVISERS Professor Kambiz Pourrezaei, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems; and sor Meltem Izzetoglu, Villanova University; H.H. Sun Professor Banu Onaral, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems Meltem Izzetoglu, research professor, Villanova University 38 EXELmagazine.org 39 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018 MISC MUSCLES 23 24
HOT AND COLD A BETTER METHOD TO MUSCLE THERAPY MEASURE INFANT TREMORS
_PROBLEM _PROBLEM For patients dealing with muscle Neonatal abstinence syndrome af- pain, cryotherapy (cold) and ther- fects babies whose mothers abused motherapy (heat) are often used at opioids during pregnancy, a group relatively extreme temperatures in that in 2012 was five times larger an attempt to reduce swelling and than it was in 2000. Among the address inflammation. Heating pads symptoms is tremors, involuntary and ice packs both serve a function, rhythm movements that are mea- but there is no product that uses sured on a 1 to 4 scale. Babies are both heating and cooling tactics to scored every two to four hours and 17 18 19 20 21 help patients. treatment depends on a total score, but the measurement is subjective A 3D-PRINTED, A SUTURE-SILK A MELATONIN DRUG DELIVERY SOUND- _SOLUTION and can lead to incorrect methadone REGENERATIVE SCAFFOLD TO PUMP ATTUNED FOR CHRONIC GUIDED GAIT The ThermoKloth uses both cryo- or morphine dosage. TRACHEAL BRACE GUIDE NERVE TO NATURE’S WOUNDS ADJUSTMENT therapy and thermotherapy in a regu- REGENERATION RHYTHMS lated setting powered by pairing two _SOLUTION _PROBLEM _PROBLEM _PROBLEM circuits, one for heating and one for An ankle-worn device as small as There are no ideal treat- _PROBLEM _PROBLEM Six-and-a-half million For a large number of cooling, to address inflammation. The an Apple Watch that can track and ments for tracheomalacia, There are 347,000 Ameri- Insufficient melatonin Americans are affected by patients in physical therapy design is a dual-Peltier device that al- quantify a baby’s tremors using a degenerative disease cans with spinal cord inju- can lead to unstable sleep, chronic wounds — those for neurological disorders or lows users to control the temperature an accelerometer, then wirelessly that leads to the collapse ries, and 17,000 more suffer which can accelerate the that fail to heal within rehabilitating injuries, an — hot or cold — for application on an transfer data via Bluetooth technol- of a person’s airways. The such injuries each year and symptoms of a patient’s 12 weeks — and $25 abnormal gait can increase 22 injured muscle. ogy to a computer for analysis. The existing options are either are at risk of permanent disease, especially billion a year is spent on the risk of falls, back pain device could improve treatment quick and temporary or can loss of neurological func- dementia. Existing treatments, none of which and other subsequent in- A MUSCLE-TESTING accuracy and eliminate subjectivity, fracture and create further tion. There is currently solutions to deliver address the underlying juries. But at the moment, SIMULATOR TO ELIMINATE ultimately reducing hospital costs tissue damage. Degener- no promising solution to melatonin lack a natural physiology. In a normal there are no mobile solu- SUBJECTIVITY and discharging babies sooner. ated tracheal rings need repair spinal cord injuries. release, and patient non- wound, macrophages tions to help patients regain cartilage support from In order to restore func- compliance with current create inflammation that a normal walking rhythm. _PROBLEM a mechanical structure tionality to damaged nerve approaches can be as high helps an injury heal, but More than 5 million Americans that can prevent collapse, fibers, guided direction is as 75 percent in elderly chronic wounds don’t _SOLUTION need muscular assessments to promote tissue growth and required. populations. behave in expected A shoe insole with force gauge the impact of their neuro- create adhesion. patterns. sensors that translates logical disabilities. The current 0–5 _SOLUTION _SOLUTION the map of an individual’s scale ranges from no movement to _SOLUTION The team designed a scaf- In order to deliver _SOLUTION gait into sound that can be normal strength, but translating A 3D-printed, C-shaped fold made of suture silk sufficient supplemental A topically applied drug played in headphones as a patient’s muscle strength to the brace that facilitates the — which is biocompatible, melatonin in a way that delivery system that can he or she walks. A target scale is fraught with errors due to growth of cartilage tissue readily available in many mimics the body’s natural be placed on a wound of pattern is played repeatedly subjectivity. while resisting the pres- sizes and inexpensive — to circadian rhythms, any size and contains two prior to walking, then, as sure generated during the guide nerve regeneration the team developed a different mechanisms to the user walks, the rhythm _SOLUTION breathing process. The through channels that could pump that dispenses address the two differ- of their current gait is An electro-pneumatic device that team’s design is porous, address sites both near and melatonin through a ent types of macrophages played. By adjusting their mimics a healthy adult male arm in order to allow carti- far from an injury. As a syringe-style system with with two different release walking rhythm to match and can be used as a teaching tool lage cells to migrate and proof of principle, the team a microprocessor and methods. When combined, the target, the individual to help clinicians reduce variability. proliferate, with a solid demonstrated that nerves circuitry able to control the the gel, which contains can use real-time auditory The imitation forearm replicates an outer layer and an inner did attach to the suture silk, melatonin output. If used a microparticle slurry, feedback to speed along the individual’s range of motion, allows scaffold to remain sturdy while future development as a bedside device, it could promotes the growth of rehabilitation or physical clinicians to set scale values and and promote regeneration. will also aim for directional offer better modulation new blood vessels, allowing therapy process. provides feedback through LED The device would improve a nerve growth. of melatonin uptake and, tissue to regrow and the lights. It could increase the reli- patient’s quality of life and therefore, more consistent wound to heal. ability of muscle strength assess- offer a permanent, non- sleep cycles. ments and increase the consistency pharmacological solution. of training, and its portable design would maximize its usefulness.
17 TEAM Kosha Kumar, Alexandria Neiman, Nicholas Wancio, David Luke Wetnight and Emrecan Yener / ADVISER Professor Wan Shih and Michael Froh- 22 TEAM Oyinkan Aderele, Caleb Gerald, Emily Du, Melissa Frendo-Rosso and Loveena Williams / ADVISERS Associate Professor Sriram Balasubramanian, bergh, both of the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 18 TEAM Liam Barnes, Christopher Brennan, Kalgi Chokshi, Megan School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems; Clinical Specialist Allan M. Glanzman, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Attending Physi - Donohue and Angelica Spinelli / ADVISER John M. Reid Professor Margaret Wheatley, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 19 cian Matthew P. Kirschen, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 23 TEAM Chung Cheng, Stephen Parsons, Dennis Roy, Uyen Tran and John Yockey / ADVISER TEAM Jordan Bucher, Thomas Donnelly, Sean Jenkins, Samuel Kim and Dalton Lester / ADVISER Assistant Teaching Professor Marek Swoboda, School of Professor Ryszard Lec, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 24 TEAM Nsilo Berry, Chris Bijumon, Priyanka Karekar, Josue Man - Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 20 TEAM Matthew Geib, Allison Liptak, Samantha Santos, Anh Trinh and Kathryn Volk / ADVISERS jarrez Linares and Todd Roescher / ADVISERS Professor Kambiz Pourrezaei, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems; and Assistant Assistant Professor Kara Spiller, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 21 TEAM Samantha Fox, Jaclyn Goulet, Tyler Kern, Cory Clinic Professor Barbara Amendolia, College of Nursing and Health Professions Quigley and Yang Wan / ADVISER Associate Teaching Professor Joseph J. Sarver, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems 40 EXELmagazine.org 41 _BODY OF RESEARCH _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
MALACOLOGY _DIGGING INTO DATA A massive digitization project by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University continues to put data about its 18 million natural specimens at the fingertips of scientists and the public worldwide. _by Mary Alice Hartsock
ost people know what it’s like to struggle M to decipher someone else’s scribbled handwrit- ing. When you’re truly stuck, you can usually follow up with the author in person. But what if that isn’t an option, and your ability to decipher those notes could shape scientific history? Drexel University students Nicholas Blase and Valerie Coghlan (since graduated) faced this problem while working in the Academy’s Botany Collection. Their job was to examine images of printed or handwritten labels and packets holding lichens and bryophytes and enter infor- mation from these labels into a searchable database. Their work was part of a larger project underway at the Academy to make its specimens available to anyone online. Through digitization, data distrib- uted among millions of individual specimens are converted into digital records that include sci- NO. 56531_ U. RETUSUS NO. 54248_ C. HIANS entific names; dates and locations of its collection; the collector’s name; and other relevant data. In the Botany Collection, Blase and Coghlan worked to database 200 specimens sciences per day using software that “reads” typed specimen natural
of SHELLS_IN_SEPIA
labels from digital images. “This goal was often met The Academy of Natural Sciences recently finished 250 cabinets containing more than 13,000 drawers and
as long as there were no academy digitizing its entire Malacology Collection of 10 million 10 million specimens, together weighing more than , troublesome labels,” says shells, one of the largest in the world, with funds from 55 tons. The collection represents every region of the Blase. “But common slow- the National Science Foundation. The collection dates world and is a priceless resource for scientists in many callomon downs included getting back to the Academy’s founding in 1812, when one of disciplines. It is fully searchable online through the paul caught up on deciphering its founders donated a box of shells and madrepores Academy’s website, ansp.org, and more than 5,000 of the by handwriting for a large (reef-building corals). Since then, the shell collection most scientifically important specimens can be viewed
string of specimens.” images has grown considerably and now occupies more than as high-definition images on any web browser. NO. 94109_ S. TASMANIENSIS
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MALACOLOGY
Many of the specimens in the collection are de- cades or centuries old, and finding the correct answers requires researching historical records and ven- turing into the collection to investigate the specimen packets in person. Accuracy is essential, especially in digitization projects focused on type specimens, which are used to establish the application of names to species. For type specimens, even before data is entered, staffers must dig into the histori- cal records to confirm that they have the type and investigate whether anyone has reconsidered the speci- men’s classification since its naming. Most Academy collec- tions are also adding digital images to their specimen data — a task that has become more urgent in the past two decades. Academy ichthyologists use high-res- olution micro CT (comput- erized tomography) scans to create 3D images that can be rotated and sliced into sections digitally, mak- ing the images especially useful for examining small specimens. Many depart- ments take high-resolution photographs of specimens using a digital camera and NO. 50351_ S. BITUBERCULATUS NO. 35160_ V. VESPERTILIO special lighting, while oth- ers use flatbed scanners. The high-quality images also offer curious amateur naturalists the chance to view the specimens as many times as they like. “Natural history tends to present itself to the world in books, documents and scholarly publica- tions,” says Paul Callomon, collection manager of malacology, invertebrate paleontology and general invertebrates at the Acad- NO. 36059_ M. CORNUTUS emy of Natural Sciences.
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MALACOLOGY
2
NO. 147139_ C. ESONTROPIA
NO. 55974_ S. IMPERIALIS
NO. 40374_ A. HELIOTROPIUM
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_THE LAST MILE _by Adam Stone _photos by Tommy Leonardi
_MIHIR SHAH Shah is a 2000 computer engineering gradu- ate and co-founder of the Philadelphia-based biomedical company UE LifeSciences.
THE ROAD TO EARLY BREAST CANCER DETECTION IS PARTICULARLY ROUGH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, WHERE jus wadhwa, MD, remembers one woman in particular: A SCARCE MEDICAL RESOURCES, 38-year-old house cleaner; she had had the lump in her Obreast for months. But she was poor, working all the time, running her POVERTY AND CULTURAL TABOOS home and supporting her family. She didn’t have time or money for a mammogram. She was afraid of the radiation. ARE OBSTACLES TO WOMEN This was all too familiar to Wadhwa. When Wadhwa heads out into the slums of Pune, India, LEARNING THEIR DIAGNOSES the oncologist knows what she will see. Broken-down resi- dences. Alcoholism. Failed infrastructure. Over 100,000 BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE. BUT AN people who don’t have a toilet within walking distance. It’s the women who hold it all together, and they’re the ones INGENIOUS NEW HAND-HELD Wadhwa is here to see. She and her helpers from the breast cancer advocacy MEDICAL DEVICE PIONEERED organization Aastha Group arrive early in the morning, commandeering space in community centers or in private AT DREXEL IS COVERING THE homes. They set up examination tables and privacy cur- tains and by 10 a.m. the women start arriving, unwinding DISTANCE BETWEEN DIAGNOSIS their saris as they describe their medical histories. Before the day is out the team will perform 100 to 125 breast screen- AND SURVIVAL. ings. In the case of that 38-year-old woman, this led to an early diagnosis and successful treatment: A life saved. “If we hadn’t been there she would have been diagnosed much later, if at all, and the outcomes would have been very different,” says Wadhwa.
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For this win, she credits iBreastExam, a handheld, bat- tery-operated breast scanner born at Drexel. The iBreast- Exam is no heavier than a paperback book, is so easy to use it operates with just an on/off switch, and is capable of producing individual scans for pennies on the dollar. Un- like hospital mammograms, it is painless and uses no ra- diation. Yet it is as effective as a mammogram at detecting abnormal breast lumps. His first break emerged from a networking event for students interested in entrepreneur- Its size, affordability and simplicity make it uniquely ship, where Shah was pulled into a project writing real estate appraisal software for Drexel suited to reach what health care workers call “the last mile.” alumnus Mark Silverman ’86. A few years later, Silverman helped Shah compete in Drexel’s Sometimes literal, sometimes figurative, “the last mile” business plan competition. Shah and his partner won the contest and earned $5,000 and of- refers to the vast gulf of adverse conditions that can sepa- fice space in Drexel’s new business incubator, the Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship, run rate people from basic medical attention — and it has by the Close School of Entrepreneurship — becoming the incubator’s first tenants in 2002. profound health consequences for women in the develop- Being in Baiada put them alongside staff from Drexel’s Office of Technology Commer- ing world. In the United States, successful early detection cialization, some of whom have remained mentors to this day. “We’d share lunches and drives breast cancer survival rates of 80 percent, but that learn what tech transfer is,” Shah recalls. “I was amazed: Are you telling me that the best rate falls to just 40 percent in countries like India, accord- technologies invented at the University could be commercialized by someone like me? I’m ing to the World Health Organization. thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do.’” “[The iBreastExam] has been a blessing for us and a boon He spent some time in the following years exploring technology trends, working on proj- for the whole community,” says Wadhwa. “Lots of people ects around GPS tracking and other areas, but he was searching for something bigger. He was are trying to motivate women to come forward, but we also becoming more embedded in Drexel’s venture ecosystem, getting to know the players in have been more successful than most, and it’s only because tech commercialization. One was Banu Onaral, who served as the founding director of Drex- of this device.” el’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems and who spearheaded the Coulter-Drexel Translational Research Partnership Program — a major Drexel conduit for THE FIRST STEPS bringing faculty inventions to market. The iBreastExam was built around technology invented by Onaral, who is now a senior presidential adviser for global innovation partnerships at Drexel professors and is being rolled out internationally by Drexel focused on emerging economies, says she championed Shah because she could see Drexel computer engineering grad Mihir Shah ’00 through that he had his heart and mind set on making a difference in the lives of the underserved the Philadelphia-based biomedical company he co-founded, and unprivileged. FIELD_KIT UE LifeSciences. “He had what it took to effect change in health care,” she recalls thinking. “He just The iBreastExam is sold Field operators trained by UE LifeSciences have screened needed to be tested on the ground.” as a kit for less than more than 120,000 women and successfully identified more In 2004, Onaral invited Shah to take a prototype of a non-invasive cardiac monitoring $10,000. It is packaged than 100 cases of breast cancer. The iBreastExam has been device to India for clinical evaluation. “They wanted real-life data, and I could make that in a leather case that deployed in India, Myanmar, Botswana and Mexico so far happen by taking it to India,” Shah says. includes the handheld and will soon be available in at least eight other countries The catch: he would have to come up with $25,000 to “buy” the prototype that he took breast scanner and a in Southeast Asia and Africa. The company recently inked with him. Shah, then 26, pulled together his earnings from his earlier real estate software smartphone that runs a global distribution agreement with GE Healthcare, the venture and booked a working vacation. an app for analyzing test world’s largest purveyor of women’s health imaging prod- “I called seven or eight top-notch cardiologists in Mumbai, introducing myself as an results and cloud storage. ucts, to expand the device’s reach. entrepreneur from the United States and describing this medical invention,” he recalls. Though the device has been on the market for just two “I showed them the brochure and used fancy words like ‘clinical collaborator,’ when all I years, the story of how it went from a professor’s lab bench really needed was a doctor to try it out.” to clinics and community health fairs around the world is The next thing he knew, he was in the operating theater getting scrubbed. tied to Shah’s personal story, and goes back nearly 20 years to “I saw a live birth take place. I saw open heart surgery. All these people were benefitting when he came to Drexel as a student from Mumbai at age 18. from the cardiologist constantly looking at this machine,” recalls Shah. “When I saw real life When Shah entered Drexel as a freshman in 1996, he spoke patients benefitting from this technology, I was hooked. I decided to drop everything I was only adequate English: It’s his third language, after Gujarati doing and pursue medical technology development and commercialization.” and Hindi. He came seeking a computer engineering degree, He returned to Drexel with 60 case studies, enough data for Drexel’s tech transfer office even though he’d only ever used a laptop twice. A self-de- to get the device licensed to a U.S.-based med-tech company. He’d found his niche. scribed “straight B+” student, he didn’t seem cut out for aca- And then, in late 2006, his soon-to-be mother-in-law in India was diagnosed with demic stardom. But his family had scrappy business instincts: breast cancer. His dad was a “trader,” which in India meant he cobbled to- gether a middle-class living buying and selling used textile THE PATH TO DISCOVERY manufacturing equipment. It took a Drexel scholarship, all The wedding was just six months away when Shah’s mother-in-law learned the disease was the family’s savings and some high-interest loans to bring already at stage 2. It was invasive, and it had moved into her lymph nodes. She underwent Shah to the United States for a shot at success. surgery, then six months of chemotherapy. At the wedding, she wore a wig. Over the next several years, a series of fortunate con- Over the following years, Shah learned of eight other women among his friends and nections, deliberate gambles and persistence put Shah in family who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Four didn’t make it. “India’s national aver- the way of fate over and over again, equipping him with age is similar: for every two women diagnosed, one doesn’t survive,” Shah says. all of the tools he would eventually need to succeed at “You cannot escape it when breast cancer happens so close to your home,” he says. He tech commercialization. began educating himself about the disease: Where does it come from? How is it detected? “I started learning there was this huge disparity of outcomes for women in the devel- oped world versus the developing world. In the United States, my mother-in-law’s case
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In two and a half years, they had the iBreastExam. With FDA clearance in hand, and approval for medical use in Europe, his company now employs over 70 people in the United States, India and Malaysia. Two key numbers help to explain the adoption of the new screening test: 85 and 92. “It has been through four clinical studies and has shown over 85 percent sensitivity and over 92 percent specificity,” Shah says. “Both of those are measures for the detection of breast lumps and lesions. Sensitivity means you can detect a lump when it is there, you don’t miss Program. He immediately saw the technology could reach it. Specificity means you can tell when it isnot there: It means you have fewer false alarms.” women in their community better than the more cumber- Another key figure: $2. That’s how much it costs to administer an individual scan with some and costly NoTouch BreastScan. the device, versus mammography fees that typically range from $6 to $30 per screening. Major med-tech companies were interested, too. Shah In line with these findings, the World Health Organization included iBreastExam in its went to the Shihs and to Alexey Melishchuk, the associate inventory of promising diagnostic tools, lauding the device for its “extreme sensitivity” director of licensing in Drexel’s Office of Technology Com- and noting that it “demonstrates significant potential as a low-cost screening tool in low- mercialization, which managed the University’s intellec- resource environments.” tual property, and he promised, “This technology would be That low cost, paired with the fact that virtually anyone can perform the exam, makes one among many for those large companies, but I’ll make the new tool perfect for developing countries. “Your health workers may be people who it my life’s work.” were picked from the local area, who volunteer and try to make an impact,” says Brooks, He got the license. one of the researchers who developed the underlying technology. “If you assign those peo- would have had an 80 percent sur- ple to do breast exams and you give them a device that can make that detection, you have vival rate, but in India it was 50,” THE ROAD TO MARKET the chance to make a huge impact.” he says. PERSONAL_JOURNEY Still, UE LifeSciences needed funds. “What we are doing always has a greater purpose, to serve humanity in general,” says Why the disparity? Early detec- Shah left Mumbai to study “We had licensed the technology from Drexel but had no Donna De Carolis, dean of the Close School of Entrepreneurship, referring to the Univer- tion is a big reason. In India, like at Drexel in 1996 at age 18. money to develop it ourselves,” says Shah. “Our first ma- sity’s entrepreneurial and tech commercialization pathways. “Scientists and engineers un- many developing countries, women Over the next two decades, chine wasn’t yet FDA cleared so we had all these bills to pay derstand that the work they do will ultimately impact the human condition for the better. can’t always travel to a faraway using technology, contacts and our first working product was still in limbo.” Then we add this other piece by thinking about the commercial pathways as a means to clinic for a screening. Cultural ta- and resources at Drexel, he An assist from Drexel saved the day. A mentor in the Office turn those dreams into a reality.” boos may discourage exposure to ra- built a safe, low-cost porta- of Technology Commercialization, Senior Associate Vice Pro- Things are picking up speed now for UE LifeSciences. A big piece of the commercial diation. Mammography is expensive ble breast cancer detection engineer the tool in such a way that it could detect the ever-so-slightly- vost and Executive Director of Technology Commercialization puzzle fell into place in summer 2016, when Shah was invited by Terri Bresenham, chief and India has 10 times fewer radiolo- device that is saving lives in harder mass of a tumor within the surrounding tissues. Bob McGrath, tipped Shah off to a Pennsylvania Department innovation officer at GE Healthcare and the head of its Sustainable Healthcare Solutions gists than the United States, serving the developing world. The technology can detect tiny early tumors, even in dense breasts, of Health call for grant proposals, and as luck would have it, effort, to give a demonstration of iBreastExam’s technology. GE Healthcare had been scout- a population four times larger. making it perfect for early detection in all women — young, old and the state specifically wanted to fund cancer detection. ing startups for emerging technologies to help serve people in developing countries. As Shah learned more, he found across all ethnicities. “That Pennsylvania grant was akin to the one shot that Shah presented to a room packed with about 80 executives, including the heads of its that early detection is also stymied “That’s something entirely new,” she says. “Without this, the only way Luke Skywalker got in ‘Star Wars’ to destroy the Death Star — mammography, utrasound and MRI divisions. Diplomatically, he described ways that their by breast density. When the tissues of the breast are densely to quantify tissue stiffness is after the tissue is cut out from the human body. Now you have that one chance in a million to hit the target,” recalls Shah. mechanisms fell short in some parts of the world, and how iBreastExam — affordable, wound, radiation from the mammogram cannot penetrate an instrument that you can use to measure the stiffness of tissue on a living human being.” Shah had never written a grant proposal before, but with mobile, simple — was filling in the gaps. them — and tumors go undetected. Shih and her co-researchers obtained a patent for a “soft material stiffness” sensor in 2009 Shih’s well-recognized invention, her technical proposal, “And I kind of see Terri sit more upright in her chair,” recalls Shah. “I had her right in Naturally dense breasts are common among young wom- — one year after being herself diagnosed with aggressive ductal carcinoma of the breast and and his business plan, he went head to head against other front of me, with the head of the ultrasound business sitting next to her. I could physically, en, women of certain ethnicities such as Asians, and about undergoing treatment. technologies to compete for the grant money. He vividly re- visibly see their expressions change. She started looking behind at her colleagues, like, 40 percent of women over 40. The sensitivity of a mam- By this time, Shah was serving as a Drexel entrepreneur-in-residence and had begun calls the phone call in February 2012 telling him he had won. ‘Are you seeing this?’ And she had a little smile on her face.” mography machine, which can be as high as 80 to 98 per- working — with his UE LifeSciences co-founder Matt Campisi (an introduction made by “That’s when life changed,” Shah recalls. “It took me a Bresenham was thinking it was one of the best ideas she’d heard in a long time. In No- cent, drops to between 30 and 64 percent in women with his mentor Onaral) — on a different non-invasive breast cancer detection tool that used while just to adjust my mindset. I thought it must be one vember 2017, GE Healthcare inked a deal to distribute iBreastExam in more than 25 coun- very dense breasts, according to the Radiological Society of thermal imaging to spot telltale concentrations of heat that indicate a tumor. of my friends playing a prank. But I opened my email and tries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa as an adjunctive tool in its healthcare port- North America. Shah thought that that tool, called the NoTouch BreastScan, would be cleared by the there it was in official words.” folio — expanding screenings to more than 500 million women in developing countries. As chance would have it, faculty researchers at Drexel Food and Drug Administration in a few months. Instead, the FDA lingered over it for two Later, at a formal ceremony handing over the $878,000 The opportunity to impact health on such a global scale would never have materialized were experimenting with technology that could address and a half years while the agency fretted that it would confuse consumers and deter them grant, the state Secretary of Health took Shah aside. “He without the support mechanisms at Drexel, says Shah. just this problem. from getting mammograms. Then, the FDA said no. told me, this is your golden ticket. Spend this money as if “It’s not just about an entrepreneur with guts of steel; it’s not just an engineering In the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and “That was the darkest part,” Shah remembers. “I had no Plan B.” He and Campisi had it’s your own. We are trusting that you will build a product team,” he says. “Even a visionary needs support to take an unfunded idea through proof Health Systems, Professor Wan Shih had been studying a started the company with a $150,000 friends and family fund — practically nothing for a that will save lives,” Shah remembers. of concept, to develop a business model around an emerging technology even before it has phenomenon called “piezoelectrical effect” for a couple med-tech startup. For three years their head of operations went without a salary. A year and Shah and Campisi put together a team of 27 clinicians, a viable revenue stream. of decades and inventing piezoelectric devices in collabo- a half into it, Campisi was offered a six-figure salary by another company. Campisi turned it researchers, engineers and coders in the United States and “That means programs that are willing to invest just to push the science forward. That’s ration with her husband, Dr. Wei-Heng Shih of Drexel’s down, saying he believed in Shah and the mission. No pressure. India and began building. how we got a breast surgeon and a PhD student to convert their theses and hypotheses into Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Piezo- “There’s a resilience and team bonding that only failure can make happen,” Shah says of Shah knew that to succeed commercially, the device something that actually does something. And you need an entrepreneurial environment electric effect refers to the ability of certain materials to the experience. “Now when something doesn’t go the way we expect, we couldn’t care less.” would have to be portable enough to serve remote villag- where there is a tech commercialization office willing to make the early bets, to invest in generate an electrical charge when pressure is applied. One They wrote a letter to the FDA explaining the situation and incredibly, that worked. The es. It would have to be simple enough for any community faculty’s intellectual property. You need programs like we have at Drexel.” novel piezoelectric device they invented is a finger-like, FDA cleared NoTouch BreastScan in August 2012. health worker to use it without a doctor or radiologist. It flexible tissue stiffness sensor. But by then Shah had been introduced to Shih and her piezoelectrical sensor technology had to connect wirelessly to the internet and use small data Together with doctoral candidates Hakki Yegingil and Xin through his involvement with Drexel’s Coulter-Drexel Translational Research Partnership files. It had to be rugged in humid and hot environments. It Xu, Wei-Heng Shih, and surgeon Ari Brooks, MD, director of had to be impervious to breast density. the Integrated Breast Center at the Pennsylvania Hospital, All that, and it also had to be “ridiculously affordable,” Shih investigated how this piezoelectric tissue stiffness sen- Shah says. sor could be used to detect tumors. Their innovation was to
52 EXELmagazine.org 53 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
_by Lauren Ingeno
i PS_CELLS Laboratory-grown stem cells THE CHEMICALS — called induced pluripotent or iPS cells — are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to behave like Thousands of U.S. soldiers returned from the 1991 Persian Gulf War embryonic stem cells. Drexel researchers believe these modified cells could hold answers to the debilitating cluster of symptoms that with a mysterious, incurable illness. To find answers, have plagued many veterans College of Medicine researchers are since they returned from the first Gulf War in 1991. reprogramming veterans’ cells . THEY CARRY
54 EXELmagazine.org 55 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
The researchers were able to correct the deficits using Tuba- cin, a drug that preserves normal cellular function by restor- and as insect repellent on the skin — as well as pyridostig- ing microtubule acetylation and correcting changes in micro- mine bromide (PB) pills and anthrax vaccines. The military tubule structure. This suggests that microtubules could serve had prescribed the “PB” pills using a waiver from the Food “I think what became more and more obvious, is that the DoD was getting a little dubi- as a desirable structural target for Gulf War Illness treatment. and Drug Administration, which allowed the troops to take ous about the use of rats and mice to study Gulf War Illness, because there seemed to be Surprisingly, the researchers also found that once they the otherwise non-approved prophylactic as prevention some genetic and epigenetic factors to the disease,” Baas explains. “Why did some soldiers corrected the microtubules deficit, defects in dopamine re- against nerve agent poisoning. In 1996, reports uncovered get sick, while others who were exposed equally, did not? Was there some kind of predis- lease also markedly improved. Fluctuations in dopamine are that the United States’ 1991 bombings of an ammunitions position to the disease?” thought to be connected to many of the neurological symp- rmy veteran Lynn Santosuosso donated her blood to science storage depot in Khamisiyah, Iraq, had unintentionally re- Not only is it difficult to study genetic factors of disease within animals, but rats are toms that Gulf War Illness sufferers face, including insomnia, last spring. From a Boston University lab, her cells were sent leased a wave of sarin nerve gas. The gas had drifted south- also poor models for studying neurodegeneration more generally. cognitive problems and headaches. The study suggests that to the school’s Center for Regenerative Medicine, where sci- ward more than 300 miles to Saudi Arabia — where 100,000 “Human neurons are just not the same as the cells in rats or mice,” Baas says. “For dopamine alterations after toxin exposure are in part due to entists inserted into them four carefully chosen genes. American troops were stationed. example, the tau protein that goes awry in Alzheimer’s makes neurofibrillary tangles. In changes in microtubules, and restoring microtubule function The modification transformed the cells, reversing them “They were exposed to a toxic soup of chemicals,” Sulli- rodents, the tau doesn’t make those same tangles. So, certain key disease mechanisms are to a more normal state could help to alleviate symptoms. back to their infancy and making them ripe with research van says. “We didn’t understand then what a mixture like not re-capitulated in animals very well.” “The fact that a microtubule-based therapy would correct potential. that could do. The thought was that if there wasn’t a ma- A breakthrough in the study of human cells occurred in 2006, thanks to Nobel Prize- the problem with dopamine release is very encouraging,” Laboratory-grown stem cells — called induced pluripo- jor poisoning event, then there wouldn’t be chronic health winning research by Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka. Baas says. tent or iPS cells — are adult cells that have been genetically outcomes. We now know that is not the case.” It was Yamanaka who first “reprogrammed” adult stem cells into induced pluripotent In future studies, the cells derived from Gulf War vet- reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. They Since those early revelations, Sullivan has dedicated her stem cell lines. Though originally intended for clinical application, these cells have be- erans will offer the researchers a clearer picture of how not only proliferate indefinitely inside a petri dish, but can research to finding out more about the origins of Gulf War come a critical tool for biological research. microtubule-based therapies might affect the illness. In also differentiate into any type of cell in the human body. Illness and how to help veterans affected by it. Now, the Gulf War Illness researchers will be the first team in the world to study blood addition to microtubules, they are investigating how other From Boston, Santosuosso’s iPS cells then journeyed 300 Santosuosso connected with Sullivan’s research group in cells obtained from 300 veteran volunteers and modified using Yamanaka’s technique. targets, such as tau proteins, may play a role in the disease. miles to Drexel’s College of Medicine in Philadelphia. There, a team of neuroscientists the late ’90s and has been participating in studies at Bos- With the correct combination of growth factors, scientists can manipulate the induced The good news, Baas says, is that once a target is identi- altered them once again — this time, into neurons. ton University ever since. But despite a willingness to vol- pluripotent stem cells into any type of cell they wish to investigate. And, because pluripo- fied, it is likely that an FDA-approved drug already exists to The Drexel researchers believe these modified cells could hold answers to the debilitat- unteer her body for science, she has received little effective tent cell lines are essentially immortal, they can be harvested for an unlimited number of treat the problem. However, the treatment would still likely ing cluster of symptoms that have plagued Santosuosso and her peers since they returned treatment for her symptoms, which she believes have grown studies. The reprogrammed stem cells will be housed in a biorepository at Boston Univer- have to go through vigorous clinical trials in order for the from the first Gulf War in 1991. It is estimated that 250,000 of the 700,000 veterans de- worse over the years. In three years, she’ll be able to retire sity and made accessible to any researcher in the world. Department of Veterans Affairs to approve it for use on Gulf ployed in the conflict suffer from what is now known as Gulf War Illness. from her job at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine. Most importantly, the cells are derived directly from the patients affected by Gulf War Ill- War Illness patients. Sullivan, Baas and the rest of the Gulf “We see this as an urgent situation; these veterans have been suffering for more than 30 “Hopefully I can continue working that long,” she says. ness, which means they harbor the wide array of genetic factors that may contribute to the War Illness Consortium team are poised to begin these clini- years,” says Peter Baas, a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, who Between fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and memory issues, disease, says Liang “Oscar” Qiang, a research assistant professor in the College of Medicine. cal trials once the most promising treatments are identified. is leading the Gulf War Illness research efforts at Drexel. “Until now, a real challenge for she says it’s becoming more difficult to remain productive. “The big advantage of using patient-derived calls is that many diseases cannot be traced the research community was developing models to study this disease.” “It is frustrating as hell some days.” to just one gene mutation, but rather are due to the complex interactions of genes,” says The pluripotent stem cell lines offer scientists, for the first time, the opportunity to Qiang, Drexel’s iPS cell expert. “Susceptibility of these diseases may also be based on epi- identify the neurological underpinnings of Gulf War Illness and to develop treatments to A SCIENTIFIC METAMORPHOSIS genetic factors, which cannot be looked at in animal models. These cell lines will preserve reverse it. Drexel’s Peter Baas knew little about Gulf War Illness 10 the complete genetic composition of those affected by the disease.” UNEXPLAINED years ago. UNHEALTHY WINDS OF WAR He came to study the disease through his career inves- After 10 years in the Army Reserve, Santosuosso was called up for active duty in November tigating microtubules — hollow cylinders that provide ” 1990 during Operation Desert Storm. She was overseas for six months, stationed north of important structure and shape to a cell, and also act as King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia. railways that transport organelles throughout cellular cy- Outside her tent, the sound of air raid sirens and chemical alarms frequently filled the toplasm. When neurons have microtubule abnormalities, air. But long-term environmental health risks were the last thing on her mind. a lot can go wrong in the brain and central nervous sys- . FEWER THAN 10 PERCENT OF THE VETERANS “The only thing you’re thinking about is what your mission is and doing your job,” the tem. In Alzheimer’s disease, for instance, chemical chang- “THEY ALL WERE COMING BACK WITH THESE 56-year-old engineering technician says now. es cause a protein called tau to detach from microtubules, SYMPTOMS For Baas, finding a therapy that will help veterans like When she returned home to New England, Santosuosso began forgetting where she put making the neurons dysfunctional. Lynn Santosuosso is the ultimate goal, but the possibilities things and losing her words mid-conversation. She experienced migraines, an unrelenting In 2006, the DoD was offering grants for research scien- WE SAW WERE DIAGNOSED WITH POST-TRAUMATICfor research don’t end there. The STRESS wide use of organophos - cough and difficulty sleeping. Often, she woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe. tists to study Gulf War Illness. Baas applied for and earned phates as pesticides and herbicides across the world adds an- Around the same time, Kimberly Sullivan, who was training as a neuropsychologist at the funding, hypothesizing that microtubule-related pro- DISORDER, SO CLEARLY SOMETHING ELSEother layer of WAS urgency to HAPPENING.understanding the risks of ongoing the VA Boston Healthcare System, was noticing similar cognitive problems in the veterans teins could play a role in the neurodegenerative disease. He chemical exposure. Extremely toxic chemicals are still used whom she evaluated. was soon invited to take part in the Gulf War Illness Con- TREATING A TOXIC WORLD regularly in places like India and China, and organophos- “They all were coming back with these unexplained symptoms,” says Sullivan, now a sortium, funded by the DoD and led by Sullivan. The con- In preliminary studies that used iPS cells (though not ones derived from Gulf War veterans), phates have also been used in public health applications in research assistant professor at Boston University. Veterans complained of fatigue, head- sortium, which is still active today, consists of researchers Baas and his research team have already identified a potential treatment for Gulf War Ill- some countries, for example to combat West Nile virus. Not aches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders and memory from 10 institutions working to solve the mystery of Gulf ness symptoms. to mention, bioterrorism remains an ever-present threat. problems. “Fewer than 10 percent of the veterans we saw were diagnosed with post-trau- War Illness through clinical and animal studies. In one investigation, Drexel researchers asked whether elevated stress hormone levels “We’re living in an increasingly toxic world,” Baas says. matic stress disorder, so clearly something else was happening,” she says. But although living patients and animals provide a range could contribute to the effects of organophosphate (OP) chemicals — like the sarin used in “It’s likely that this kind of disease is going to repeat itself Officials in the Department of Defense (DoD) questioned whether the strange symp- of opportunities to study the disease, the researchers’ lack of pesticides and nerve agents during the war. To test their theory, the scientists treated cul- if we don’t educate ourselves to its causes, as well as how to toms could be tied to chemical pollutants that had affected the veterans’ central nervous postmortem brain tissue created barriers for testing mecha- tures of neurons with an analog of sarin called diisopropyl fluorophosphate, along with cor- prevent and treat it.” system. The DoD subsequently funded a study for Sullivan and a research team to con- nistic hypotheses and screening therapeutic compounds. tisol. Within the neurons, the team was looking for deficits in the activity of microtubules. duct follow-up interviews and cognitive evaluations with any men and women who had Their results, published in the scientific journal Traffic in 2017, showed that even low levels handled pesticides during the war. of exposure to organophosphates can lead to lasting functional deficits. The sarin analog A series of studies and investigations later revealed that the Gulf War veterans were ex- reduced the transport of mitochondria in the neurons, as well as the release of the neu- posed to combinations of toxic pesticides — used, among other purposes, to treat uniforms, rotransmitter dopamine. Pre-existing levels of the stress hormone cortisol worsened these deficits even further.
56 EXELmagazine.org 57 _PUBLIC HEALTH _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
SAFETY _FIGHTING FIRE—AND TIGHT BUDGETS
When fire departments better understand the costs of specific injuries to their personnel, they can use their budgets more wisely and save hundreds of thousands of dollars. BURN_RATE The team found that the most or fire departments costly injuries were strains, falls and operating with limited burns. Workers’ compensation due Fresources, every dollar to burn injuries was undervalued by counts. But fire departments $750,000, while strain injuries were and their municipalities undervalued by $1 million. could be shorting their budgets by hundreds of thousands of dollars because _ INJURIES of the inability to accurately (2010) count firefighter injury data 1 and properly plan ahead, 2 according to a new study by Drexel researchers. 3 Combining data from four 4 databases to look at injury 5 occurrence and reporting in the Philadelphia Fire De- 6 partment, researchers from 10 the Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST) in the Dorn- sife School of Public Health discovered that once inju- _JENNIFER TAYLOR ries were more accurately _LONI PHILIP TABB coded, the difference in _SHANNON WIDMAN Taylor and Tabb are workers’ compensation costs associate professors was as much as $1 million in the Dornsife School of Public Health, and for some injuries. Widman (MPH '10) “It is very important was formerly project for fire departments to manager at the understand causes and cost Center for Firefighter _ DISPATCH Injury Research and CALLS of injury to ensure their lim- Safety Trends. (2010) ited budget is being properly distributed,” says Jennifer counting and classification. 76-329 Taylor, FIRST center director The team found that the 330-523 and senior author on the most costly injuries were 524-715 study published in Injury Pre- strains, falls and burns. 716-1017 vention. “If departments can Workers’ compensation accurately pinpoint specific due to burn injuries was 1018-3810 injuries that lead to specific undervalued by $750,000, costs, they are empowered while strain injuries were to prioritize decisions when undervalued by $1 million. MAPPING_INJURIES considering prevention.” “The cause of injury Researchers found that The study linked informa- resulting in the most significant variability exists tion from human resources numerous claims may not across Philadelphia when records, dispatch data, work- result in the highest costs,” looking at the number of ers’ compensation records says Shannon Widman, injuries relative to the number and the records of the first project manager at FIRST of calls in a given census tract. report of firefighter or and lead author. “A smaller paramedic injuries. By doing number of more serious in- so, they were able to track juries may result in higher sullivan injuries across the data sets, costs to departments and
allowing for more accurate municipalities.” brian
58 EXELmagazine.org 59 _PUBLIC HEALTH _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
AUTISM MENTAL HEALTH AUTISM JUSTICE
_PCBS IN THE WOMB _THE BOOK ON COLORING _$11M GRANT _UNEQUAL FORCE
A class of chemical compounds banned more than Adult coloring books can have positive effects on a person’s stress levels, of substance, develop rela- arly detection is critical In response to a study that gained widespread attention, a Drexel researcher 40 years ago is still increasing the likelihood of but they’re no substitute for actual art therapy. tionships, nor result in any for children with au- looked closer at population-level data and found that white males are signifi - children born with neurodevelopment disorders. personal development.” Etism spectrum disorder cantly less likely to be killed by police than males of color. In the coloring exercise, so they can get intervention espite being banned participants colored in a that targets their needs. lack males are nearly finding that there was no action as white males, in the 1970s, chemi- pattern or design, while in A Drexel researcher has three times as likely racial difference in “legal and Hispanic males are 1.7 Dcals used in certain the other exercise they were received a grant for a study B to be killed by police intervention deaths” as a times as likely. Although pesticides and in consumer put in an open studio situ- seeking to demonstrate the as white males, and His- result of police encounters. American Indians and goods may still be affecting ation facilitated by an art improved outcomes that can panic males are more than Buehler felt that the study Alaska natives accounted babies, acccording to a new therapist, and given guid- result from early detection one-and-a-half times as left out an important part for just 2 percent of the study from the A.J. Drexel ance and support to process and intervention. likely to fall victim, accord- of the whole picture. deaths, their rate was Autism Institute. the experience and artwork. The Autism Centers of ing to a new Drexel study Buehler’s follow-up comparable to the rate seen Children born after They were able to make any Excellence grant for $11.4 that looked at population- study, published in the among black males. exposure to the highest type of art they wished. million will fund work by level data. American Journal of Public Buehler’s results differed _KRISTEN LYALL levels of certain PCBs Lyall is an assistant Diana Robins, a professor Health, used national from Fryer’s because the during pregnancy were professor in the "The main takeaway in the A.J. Drexel Autism records from the Cen- mortality rates he reported roughly 80 percent more A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, seeking to link ters for Disease Control reflected the entire se- Institute. likely to be diagnosed with is that coloring has improved outcomes for chil- and Prevention’s Wide- quence of events leading autism than those with the some limited ben- dren with autism directly Ranging Online Data for to a death, whereas Fryer lowest levels of exposure, compounds in particular to early detection and Epidemiology Research focused only on whether researchers found. — PCB 138/158 and PCB efits…But it does not treatment. database from 2010–14. Of lethal force was used in Although PCBs are no lon- 153 — stood out as being Getting autism-specific the 2,285 deaths attrib- situations where it might shift anything else of _JAMES BUEHLER ger produced in the United significantly linked with treatment instead of just Buehler is a clinical uted to law enforcement be needed. Buehler says States, they can remain in autism risk. Children with substance, develop general treatment, like professor in the Dornsife action over that five-year he hopes population-level the environment and be- the highest in utero levels speech therapy, is impor- School of Public Health. period (1.5 per million in studies of this sort call at- come absorbed in the fat of of the compounds were relationships, nor tant for young children on Professor James Buehler U.S. population per year), tention to the disparities in animals that humans eat. between 79 and 82 percent result in any per- the spectrum, Robins says. conducted his study in 96 percent were males 10 legal intervention deaths. “Research indicates response to widespread years or older. “As a public health per- sonal development." that children with autism interpretations of a study The chart below shows son, any large disparity in — Girija Kaimal respond best to intensive released in the summer of that the racial dispar- health is a concern to me,” By reviewing surveys autism-specific treatment 2016 by Roland G. Fryer. ity among those deaths, Buehler says. “Awareness taken before and after the that involves one-on-one Many people interpreted though, was striking: of these differences should sessions, the researchers delivery from an expert, Fryer’s study, which looked The numbers show that encourage ongoing atten- found that perceived stress with specific goals target- at situations in which le- black males are 2.8 times tion to find solutions to levels and negative mental ing communication, social thal force might be used, as as likely to die by police this problem.” states went down by engagement and play,” roughly the same levels for Robins says. “Research also NUMBER OF DEATHS BY POLICE PER MILLION both exercises. But the par- shows that children who IN POPULATION (2010–2014) ticipants also displayed a start autism-specific inter- 80%Increased likelihood of children born with autism after roughly 7 percent increase vention at younger ages According to being exposed to the highest levels of certain PCBs during in self-efficacy from the make better progress than Buehler's study, their mother’s pregnancy. open studio sessions, along children who start when the numbers show with a 4 percent increase they are older.” that black males BLACK 6.8 Along with a team of more likely to have an au- in creative agency and a 25 This study will link are 2.8 times as researchers from the tism diagnosis than those percent increase in positive early childhood detection likely to die by California Department of with the lowest levels. ou might be able to as “art therapy,” the posi- — one consisting of pure feelings. Coloring had no strategies to early interven- police action as HISPANIC Public Health, the Kaiser High levels of two other lower your stress level tive effects they provide coloring and the other effect on those responses. tion to see how children’s white males, and 4.1 Permanente Division of compounds, PCB 170 and Y with one of the adult are not nearly as potent involving direct input from “Coloring might allow for outcomes are affected by Hispanic males are Research and the National PCB 180, were also associ- coloring books that have as involving an actual art an art therapist — to see some reduction in distress the time they reach kinder- 1.7 times as likely. Center for Environmental ated with approximately 50 become so popular in recent therapist and dealing with if one or the other led to or negativity, but since it is a garten. Although American WHITE 2.5 Health, Lyall looked at a percent greater likelihood years, but if you want to growth and relationships. significant differences in structured task, it might not Among the areas that Indians and Alaska sample of children born of an autism diagnosis. truly change your situation, Girija Kaimal, assistant mood and stress levels. allow for further creative will be studied once the natives accounted in Southern California “The results suggest that they can’t match the power professor in the College of “The main takeaway is expression, discovery and children in the study reach for just 2 percent ASIAN/ between 2000 and 2003. prenatal exposure to these of art therapy, according to Nursing and Health Profes- that coloring has some lim- exploration, which we think age 5 are their overall kin- of the deaths, their PACIFIC ISLANDER 1.5 Blood tests taken during chemicals above a certain a new study. sions, led a study that ited benefits like reducing is associated with the posi- dergarten readiness, social rate was compa- the second trimester of level may influence neu- Drexel researchers found compared two 40-minute stress and negative mental tive mood improvements interaction skills and the rable to the rate the mothers’ pregnan- rodevelopment in adverse that although coloring exercises each performed states,” Kaimal says. “But it we saw in the open studio quality of interactions they seen among black AMERICAN INDIAN/ cies showed that two ways,” Lyall says. books are often advertised by a group of participants does not shift anything else condition,” Kaimal says. have with their parents. males. ALASKA NATIVES 6.9
60 EXELmagazine.org 61 _PUBLIC HEALTH _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
NUTRITION POLLUTION _WELL CENTER OPENS _UNNATURAL METHANE GAS
A new research center aims to untangle Americans’ Despite a dip in the number of new wells being drilled in the Marcellus Shale, _CALL YOUR SENATORS often problematic relationship with food. the amount of methane in the air in rural parts of Pennsylvania is on the rise. Party identification plays a significant role in determining how U.S. senators vote on legislation that impacts public health. eventy percent of the and technological solu- missions of natural gas- methane levels at 1,960 country is overweight tions for treating obesity related pollutants are parts per billion — roughly Sor obese and half and eating disorders. The Egetting worse across 50 parts per billion higher ven when it comes to the population achieves center is opening at a the section of Pennsylvania than would be expected in a public health, our so little physical activity critical time, says Director that sits atop the Marcellus rural area without natural Erepresentatives in that they are considered Evan Forman, a professor Shale, the largest gas field gas development. By 2015, the U.S. Senate are starkly sedentary. Meanwhile, eat- of psychology in the Col- in the country. Atmospheric that concentration jumped polarized. NORTH EAST ing disorders like anorexia lege of Arts and Sciences. methane levels are increas- _PETER DECARLO another 100 parts per bil- Democratic senators are +16.1% nervosa and bulimia “We’ll have the oppor- ing despite a decline in the DeCarlo is an associ- lion. Over that time period, more than four times as MIDWEST nervosa have serious — tunity to bring together number of new natural gas ate professor in the production of natural gas likely to use their vote to WEST +5.7% College of Engineer- +6.3% even deadly — health scientists from multiple wells in the region, Drexel ing and the College of from the region more than positively impact public consequences, and existing disciplines, including researchers have found. Arts and Sciences. doubled, despite the fact health policies than their treatments fail to help psychology, nutrition, Their study noted a sub- that there were about half Republican colleagues, ac- many patients. neuroscience, computer stantial increase from 2012 cording to a study by Dorn- 2012 sciences and biology,” to 2015 in measurements sife School of Public Health 2015 Forman says. “Develop- of methane and other air researchers. “We’ll have the op- ments in technology and pollutants taken three years “The findings are portunity to bring behavior-change science apart in the rural areas of concerning, but not sur- SOUTH make this an exciting time Pennsylvania that have # OF prising,” says Assistant COMPARISON SHALE together scientists to work on these critical been the target of natural GAS METHANE Professor Jonathan Purtle. public health issues.” gas development over the WELLS LEVELS “They empirically show that from multiple dis- From designing apps last decade. the political polarization STATE_OF_HEALTH ciplines, including that train users to resist “Methane is increas- of public health policy is Senators from Southern states voted in favor of urges, to advancing new ing globally, but the rate indeed as bad as it anecdot- APHA-endorsed legislation the least, on average. psychology, nutri- therapies for patients with of increase for this region ally seems — and has been After statistically controlling for political party and bulimia, Forman and his is much more rapid than CAUSE_AND_EFFECT bad for at least 15 years.” other variables, Northeastern senators averaged 16.1 tion, neuroscience, colleagues are seeking global increases,” says study While the number of new wells drilled between 2012 and 2015 To measure the differenc- percentage points higher when it came to voting for APHA’s unique, evidence-based leader Peter DeCarlo, an as- halved, methane levels still rose by 100 parts per billion. es in public health support, policy recommendations than their Southern colleagues; computer sci- methods that will create sociate professor who stud- Purtle, along with Assistant Western senators averaged 6.3 percentage points higher and DEMOCRATIC APHA ences and biology. lasting lifestyle changes. ies atmospheric chemistry hydraulic fracturing, or as many new wells drilled in Research Professor Neal Midwestern senators came in at 5.7 percentage points higher. SENATORS In addition to conduct- in the College of Engineer- fracking. Nearly a decade 2015 as in 2012, according to Goldstein and a pair of then Developments in ing research and training ing and College of Arts later, researchers are still Pennsylvania Department of graduate students — Eli emerging scientists, the and Sciences. “The rapid working to understand just Environmental Protection Edson and Annamarie Hand _WHAT IS THE APHA? technology and WELL Center includes a increase in methane is how the chemicals released figures cited in the paper. — examined when senators The American Public clinical arm that provides likely due to the increased — and those used to release “Though the rate at which voted in line with the de- Health Association behavior-change evidence-based treatments production of natural gas them — are lingering in new wells are being drilled sires of the American Public is a nonpartisan, 140-year-old profes- 88% agreeance science make this for weight loss and eating from the region, which has the water and air. and completed has slowed Health Association. They sional organization disorders. Clinicians also increased significantly over The study, published in down, the overall infra- used the Annual Congressio- +7% advocating for improved an exciting time provide nutritional coun- the 2012–2015 period. With the journal Elementa: Science structure and production nal Record to identify bills national public health. seling and evaluations for the increased background of the Anthropocene, is the has increased,” DeCarlo says. introduced into Congress to work on these those considering bariat- levels of methane, the rela- latest in a series conducted “That means that the vol- that could have major ef- ric surgery. tive climate benefit of natu- by DeCarlo and the Drexel ume of gas moving through fects — good or bad — on ? REPUBLICAN APHA SENATORS critical public A main research focus of ral gas over coal for power Air Resources Research pipelines, compressor sta- public health, establish how the WELL Center is to de- production is reduced.” Lab. The team traversed tions and processing plants the association would vote, health issues.” After statistically velop technologies, such as Since the first shale gas the Marcellus Shale region is increasing. If the leakage then record whether each controlling for political _AGREE TO DISAGREE — Evan Forman smartphone apps, that do a wells were drilled in the using Drexel’s Mobile rate of methane is constant senator voted that way. party, geographic region Looking at data from 1998 through 2013, Dornsife better job than existing pro- Marcellus Shale, a region Laboratory, a Ford cargo van per cubic foot of gas, it The team did not just and other factors, it School of Public Health researchers found that the Into this morass of grams of helping individu- that diagonally bisects the equipped with the neces- would not be surprising that look at party affiliation, but was determined that average split between Republican and Democratic female senators actually support is a whopping 67 percentage points when food-related challenges als change their habits. state from the northeast sary equipment to measure the background methane also measured demographic it comes to legislation endorsed by the APHA. 21% averaged 7.1 percentage agreeance steps Drexel’s new Center “Giving people track- to the southwest, there concentrations of chemicals has increased as much as data, including each sena- points higher than their Democrats voted in line with the APHA’s recommen - for Weight, Eating and ing and prescriptions is have been concerns about and particles in the air at it has while other pollut- tor’s gender, the state they male colleagues when it dations 88.3 percent of the time, on average, while Lifestyle Science, known helpful, but not at all the environmental effects one- to 10-second intervals ants like carbon monoxide, represent and what region came to voting for positive Republicans’ average was just 21.3 percent. as the WELL Center. It was sufficient to help them of unlocking new stores while driving. which is more associated that state is in. public health measures. launched to develop, test make substantive, lasting of fossil fuel by an uncon- Initial measurements with drilling and trucking, and share new behavioral changes,” Forman says. ventional method called taken in 2012 showed are showing a decline.”
62 EXELmagazine.org 63 _FEATURE
mōˈbilədēz ˈrēˌsərCH Mobilities research is a multi-disciplinary field of study, founded in part by Professor Mimi Sheller, that addresses some of the most pressing social, cultural, environ- mental and political transformations of our time by investigating the complex interrelated movements and stoppages of many different things including people, capital, information and policies.
AN INTERVIEW WITH _MODERNITY The materials and technologies that put modernity in motion are exhilarating, but they have consequences that must be managed, warns Drexel sociologist and mobility theorist Mimi Sheller. _by Ben Seal with Mimi Sheller _photos by David Arky
n a world that is constantly on the move, Mimi Sheller studies the systems num Dreams: The Making of Light Modernity” and “Citizenship from Below.” that make progress possible, for better and for worse. She is currently completing two new books, “Mobility Justice: The Politics of I As the director of Drexel’s Center for Mobilities Research and Policy Movement in an Age of Extremes” and “Island Futures.” She is also working and a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, her broad research and on a documentary with Jamaican fi lm director Esther Figueroa on the global publications provide a deeper understanding of the forces that shape the aluminum industry. This year, she delivered keynote addresses at conferences way modern societies travel, communicate and consume. and workshops in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sheller is president of the International Association for the History of Trans- Italy, and gave the Society & Space plenary lecture at the American Associa- port, Traffi c and Mobility and co-editor of Mobilities, a journal she co-founded tion of Geographers Annual Meeting. _WHAT’S in 2006 to delve into the interdisciplinary fi eld of study she helped establish. EXEL asked Sheller to expound on how society’s reliance on materials like IN YOUR She is author and co-editor of nine books, including the monographs “Alumi- aluminum play into the way we live. COMPUTER? {
_ALUMINUM
The 2008 launch of the “unibody” Mac- Book Pro* introduced sleek, lightweight machined aluminum casings to the laptop (and later, cellphone) market. Aluminum is sometimes described as a “green material” because it is recyclable, however, most manu- factured products use primary metal that is electrochemically smelted from bauxite ore. Bauxite mining creates waste that can contaminate water supplies, and it also damag- es forests and encroaches on agricultural land, often displacing small farmers.
_E-WASTE _OTHER METALS The world discarded about 46 million tons Other problematic metals of electronics in 2014, commonly found in comput- according to the United er parts include lead, gold Nations. Many pieces and alloys such as cobalt. of computer hardware Some producers have include lead, mercury, stopped using cobalt mined bromine and phthalates in the Democratic Republic — all of which are toxic of Congo, which supplies to the workers (including 60 percent of the world’s women and children) cobalt used in lithium-ion dismantling them in batteries, following reports unregulated e-waste of child labor and danger- recycling sites in devel- ous work conditions. 1 oping countries. Up until around 2015, the majority of e-waste from around the world ended up in Guiyu, a recycling district in China’s Guangdong Province 2 that received negative international coverage for its toxic conditions. Guiyu has since been cleaned up and today, electronics manufacturers including Apple tout their part- : nerships with domestic recyclers. Nonetheless, a 2015 sting operation by Seattle-based environ-
mental watchdog Basel _DREXELUNIVERSITYRESEARCH MAGAZINE Q Action Network revealed IN YOUR BOOK “ALUMINUM DREAMS,” YOU WRITE ABOUT HOW ALUMINUM SHAPED THE 20TH that some U.S. recycling CENTURY AS IT BECAME UBIQUITOUS. HOW DID IT OPEN UP NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR was a sham. BAN hid PROGRESS IN THE MODERN WORLD, AND IS THAT CHANGING IN THE 21ST CENTURY? GPS trackers in 200 piec- es of obsolete electronics and dropped them off A: The electricity grid, the buildings we live and high-tech military technologies, and the dawn of construction and, of course, airplanes, spaceships at e-waste collection centers; about a third of work in, the satellites and gadgets we use to the Space Age. In addition to literally putting the and satellites. In some ways it has been eclipsed the e-waste ended up communicate, the way people and goods move from world in motion, these new practices of mobility by the novelty of new materials such as titanium, at unregulated develop- place to place, the power, speed, mobility and con- also generated visual representations and aesthetics carbon composites and nanomaterials (although ing-world sites. 3 veniences that we take for granted — all are made of aerodynamic speed, accelerated mobility and some of these still make use of aluminum) yet possible by aluminum. It underpins our material technological futurism. By the 1950s, the gleam of we still depend on aluminum all the time in more culture and our ideas of what it means to be mod- aluminum surfaces was found on everything from mundane ways, such as for sports equipment (bikes, ern. Aluminum fi rst became available on a large Airstream trailers to kitchenware, and from rockets boats, bats) medical equipment (crutches, walkers, scale in the early 20th century and quickly became to airport lounges. artifi cial limbs) and things like chairs, ladders and a crucial material for streamlined vehicles, lighter Today it remains a crucial material in new window frames. Look around and you will probably packaging, mobile homes, new fl ight capabilities, cars, food packaging, laptop computers, building see some aluminum
1 REISINGER, DON. “CHILD LABOR REVELATION PROMPTS APPLE TO MAKE SUPPLIER POLICY CHANGE.” FORTUNE. HTTP://WWW.FORTUNE.COM/2017/03/03/APPLECOBALTCHILDLABOR/ (PUBLISHED MARCH 3, 2017, AND ACCESSED JULY 27, 2017). 2 STANDAERT, MICHAEL. “CHINA’S NOTORIOUS EWASTE VILLAGE DISAPPEARS ALMOST OVERNIGHT.” BLOOMBERG. HTTPS://WWW.BNA.COM/CHINASNOTORIOUSEWASTEN57982065266/
(PUBLISHED DEC. 17, 2015, AND ACCESSED AUG. 1, 2017). 3 “SCAM RECYCLING: EDUMPING ON ASIA BY U.S. RECYCLERS.” BASEL ACTION NETWORK. HTTP://WIKI.BAN.ORG/IMAGES/1/12/SCAMRECYCLINGREPORTWEB.PDF (PUBLISHED SEPT. 15, 2016, AND ACCESSED AUG. 1, 2017). 2018
* APPLE INC., AS ONE OF THE LARGEST PRODUCERS OF POPULAR ELECTRONICS, IS REPRESENTED HERE MERELY AS A SYMBOL OF THE LARGER HIGHTECH CONSUMER GOODS INDUSTRY. _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
_WHAT’S HOW DOES OUR RELIANCE If we want to make changes in complex systems we IN YOUR ON ALUMINUM IMPACT OUR first have to be aware of them, but then we also need PHONE? ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH? to develop specific and local forms of interaction, dis- _OTHER METALS One-twelfth of the earth’s crust is aluminum, mak- WHAT COULD BE DONE TO LIMIT ruption or envisioning alternatives. This could take ing it the third-most-common element after oxygen WASTE AND MITIGATE SOME OF the form of citizen science, participatory art projects, _RARE EARTHS { and silicon, but it is extremely difficult to get it into THE CONSEQUENCES OF ALUMINUM community workshops to deliberate over new solu- pure form. The main source is bauxite ore, which is MINING? tions, or community-based action research. Nearly all cellphones use rare earths — an array of 17 soft first processed into alumina, and then smelted into Architects, designers and engineers today still I am currently working with Jamaican filmmak- metals that include neo- aluminum. Bauxite mining is an open-pit process embrace aluminum as a sustainable “green metal” er Esther Figueroa on a documentary called “Fly dymium, gallium, lutetium, that leads to deforestation and leaves behind toxic because of the energy efficiencies it enables, Me to the Moon” that will try to bring together ruthenium and rutherfordium — which are useful in insula- “red mud” lakes. despite the pollution and human rights violations audiences in different parts of the world to un- _ALUMINUM To quantify it, each ton of aluminum produced coincident with the industry around the world. In derstand how they are connected by aluminum. I tors, transistors and proces- requires four tons of bauxite ore to be strip-mined, many places there are protests against the industry, have often worked with artists, for example, to cre- sors. Until fairly recently, CASING nearly all of the world’s rare crushed, washed and refined into alumina, creating including at bauxite mining areas in India, Guinea atively engage people to think about their context earth metals were mined in about four tons of caustic red mud residue, which and Jamaica, and against smelters in Trinidad, differently or to link disparate groups together. China, where open-pit mines can seep into surface and groundwater. Dust from South Africa, Canada and Iceland. And my forthcoming book “Mobility Justice” seeks generate large amounts of aluminum refining causes respiratory damage, and There are several ways that industry and citizens to develop policies for greater equality and justice toxic waste and environmental portside alumina spills have damaged coral reefs. can try to mitigate these negative impacts. First, we in all kinds of mobility systems, from the scale of regulations are lax. The Mon- golian city of Baotou became Aluminum smelting is one of the most energy- could recycle all the consumer products we use with the body, the street and the city to extended infra- notorious for storing decades intensive production processes on earth. Smelt- aluminum in them, especially cans. Melting down structures and planetary ecologies. of radioactive tailings in a ing uses an electrolytic process in which a high used aluminum requires only 5 percent as much At a recent conference of the International As- large pond that residents have current is passed through dissolved alumina. The energy as making it from ore. No one should ever sociation for the History of Transport, Traffic and blamed for contaminating electrochemical smelting of aluminum from refined put an aluminum can in the trash. We also need Mobility (of which I am president) our theme was surrounding water and soil. 1 bauxite ore requires between 13,500 and 17,000 to simply use the metal more efficiently, insist on “Mobile Utopia: Pasts, Presents and Futures.” We kilowatt-hours of electricity per ton, more energy building with recycled aluminum, make products conducted an arts exhibition, as well as “mobile than any other kind of metal processing. To put in which various metals can easily be separated out utopia experiments” in which we invited groups of this in perspective, making one soda can is said to at the end of their lifecycle, and recover as much people to enact different ways of moving. require the equivalent of one-quarter of the can’s as possible from already-existing sources, such _COLTAN volume in gasoline to produce. as so-called “urban mining,” which digs through DO YOU FEEL PESSIMISTIC OR Because of its high demand for electricity, the landfills. OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE DIRECTION Another mineral crucial to process of producing aluminum creates on aver- Beyond that, though, we also need to regulate THAT MATERIAL PRODUCTION WILL high-tech gadgets is coltan, an TAKE HUMANITY? alloy of columbite and tantalite age 13 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per ton of the industry more carefully so that it doesn’t just that refines into a heat-resis- aluminum. The aluminum industry emits about 1 move to places with little protection and get away I am both pessimistic about the current system tant powder called tantalum. percent of global emissions of man-made green- with environmental and human rights violations. of material production and also optimistic over It is considered a “conflict house gases. Smelters are also responsible for 90 There are voluntary programs like the Extractive the longer term that we will be forced to make a mineral” when sourced from percent of all tetrafluoromethane, and 65 percent Industries Transparency Initiative, which enrolls change because we will have to. This is what the the Congo, where mining is of all hexafluoroethane emissions worldwide. These countries in reporting on companies operating in futurist Buckminster Fuller called “emergence by under the control of warlords. Up until recently, Security and perfluorinated compounds have global warming their territory. emergency.” Exchange Commission (SEC) potentials that are 6,500 to 9,200 times higher But we also need to ask ourselves when we buy When the current system stops working disclosure rules required elec- than carbon dioxide. Communities living near the a product: Where did this come from and how did (whether because of climate change disruptions, tronics producers to declare industry around the world have increased asthma it get there? Who is affected by the materials in energy shortages or social conflict), we will need to whether the smelters in their levels near bauxite mines, indications of multiple- the products I am using? We need to put pressure find more energy-efficient and less wasteful ways supply chain use tantalum, chemical sensitivity around alumina refineries, and on companies to be more transparent about what of doing things. In the meantime, it is important gold, tin or tungsten from conflict regions in the Congo. exposure to toxic waste such as fluoride and cyanide they are doing, where they are doing it, and how to continue to develop alternatives — not only 2 However, industry associa- near aluminum smelters. they are treating both workers and surrounding alternative technologies but also alternative social tions successfully sued, and in Some people also believe that ingesting or absorb- communities. practices — as the foundations for a new socio- April 2017 the SEC dropped its ing aluminum has human health impacts. It is not technical system to evolve. requirement. 3 only found in our kitchenware and food packaging, AS A SOCIOLOGIST, WHAT ROLE DO but also occurs in powdered form in many cosmetics YOU BELIEVE THE SOCIAL SCIENCES _E-WASTE and deodorants, and is an adjuvant in vaccines. CAN PLAY IN UNDERSTANDING HOW Accumulations of aluminum have been found in the TO BALANCE THE BENEFITS AND brain tissue of people suffering from Alzheimer’s HAZARDS OF THESE MATERIALS? disease and have been connected to other neurologi- In my own work, I have tried to make people more cal disorders, as well as showing possible links to aware of their involvement in larger systems of breast cancer. circulation of materials, whether it’s aluminum, the movement of energy or the impacts of tour- ism. Technology never operates on its own, but is always about how people use it, how we put things together and make them work.
1 KAIMAN, JONATHAN. “RARE EARTH MINING IN CHINA: THE BLEAK SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS.” THE GUARDIAN. HTTPS://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/SUSTAINABLE-BUSINESS/ RARE-EARTH-MINING-CHINA-SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENTAL-COSTS (PUBLISHED MARCH 20, 2014, AND ACCESSED AUG. 1, 2017). 2 BROWING, LYNNLEY. “WHERE APPLE GETS THE TANTALUM FOR YOUR IPHONE.” NEWSWEEK. HTTP://WWW.NEWSWEEK.COM/2015/02/13/WHERE-APPLE-GETS-TANTALUM-YOUR-IPHONE-304351.HTML (PUBLISHED FEB. 4, 2015, AND ACCESSED JULY 31, 2017). 3 MONT, JOE. “SEC BACKS AWAY FROM CONFLICT MINERALS RULE ENFORCEMENT.” COMPLIANCE WEEK. HTTPS://WWW.COMPLIANCEWEEK.COM/BLOGS/THE-FILING-CABINET/ SEC-BACKS-AWAY-FROM-CONFLICT-MINERALS-RULE-ENFORCEMENT#.WX-XPA2ZNAY (PUBLISHED APRIL 10, 2017, AND ACCESSED JULY 31, 2017).
66 EXELmagazine.org 67 _MEDICINE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
PROSTHETICS _JOINT RESOLUTION
Where do you go to learn how not to build a medical implant? In Drexel’s Implant Research Center, failed joint implants collected from across the country are studied for clues to design improvements that could benefit patients.
ike coroners investigat- “Each hospital tends to ing a suspicious death, have its favorite brand of Lthe biomedical engi- implant,” Kurtz says. “And neers at Drexel’s Implant these hospitals send us Research Center carefully every implant for every rea- pore over each palm-sized son that they were removed, ball, cylinder and screw rather than reasons biased that is delivered to 3401 by what the surgeon has an Market St. Their job is to interest in inspecting.” figure out just what went One of the biggest con- FAILED_IMPLANTS wrong with these orthope- cerns related to implants is Shown here is a small sampling of implants from Drexel’s dic, spine and cardiovas- metal release resulting from Implant Research Center. The center currently holds cular implants — objects, taper fretting and corro- more than 6,500 implants donated from 15 hospitals from some still covered in blood, sion, which can threaten Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Nevada, Texas, Kentucky, that once resided inside the longevity of an implant. Maryland and Tennessee. Each implant is accompanied by human bodies. The Implant Research Cen- its own case file, which includes the patient’s demograph- The center currently ter engineers are interested ics, why the device was removed and X-ray images. holds more than 6,500 to find out why these de- implants donated from 15 vices corrode. By testing the SPINE hospitals from Pennsyl- implants they retrieve, they A PEEK rod stabilization vania, Ohio, New Jersey, can figure out which types system for a spine. Nevada, Texas, Kentucky, of additives or materials Maryland and Tennessee. may slow wear and tear. HIP Each implant is accompa- Infection is another A complete total hip replacement system. nied by its own case file, serious complication which includes the pa- of implantable medical tient’s demographics, why devices. Currently, the SPINE the device was removed researchers are looking at APEEK spinal device. and X-ray images. the optimal ways to reduce Some implant failures are or eliminate bacteria on HIP due to patients’ health and the surfaces of spinal and Metal and others are surgery-related. orthopedic devices. polyethylene acetabular Many of the devices simply Implants were once components were not built to endure. used primarily in elderly for a hip. “We want to capture patients and only needed why implants don’t last to last up to 20 years, but KNEE An antibiotic as long as they could in that demographic is now bone cement some patients,” says Steven changing. spacer for a knee. Kurtz, the center’s director “People are living longer and a research professor in and want to stay active for _STEVEN KURTZ the School of Biomedical more years, which means _DANIEL MACDONALD Engineering, Science and younger people are receiv- Kurtz is director of the Health Systems. ing implants that may need Implant Research Center and a research professor Drexel’s is one of the to last for multiple decades,” in the School of Biomedi - only standalone retrieval says Daniel MacDonald, the cal Engineering, Science and Health Systems. programs in the coun- center’s deputy director MacDonald is deputy try, meaning it receives and a PhD candidate in director of the center implants from multiple the School of Biomedical and a PhD candidate in the School of Biomedi- health systems instead of Engineering, Science and cal Engineering, Science just one. That’s important, Health Systems. “We want and Health Systems. Kurtz says, because it allows to be able to improve the his team to study the “full design for the next genera- landscape” of implants. tion of patients.”
68 EXELmagazine.org 69 _MEDICINE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
SPORTS MEDICINE CANCER PEDIATRICS WOUND HEALING _YOUTH MOVEMENT _MOVEMENT MATTERS _BABY'S BREATH _HEALING SOUND WAVES
Drexel researchers believe youth coaches should Drexel researchers are seeking a better understanding of how cancer or infants born with for triggering autophagy. A battery-powered applicator — as small and light teach young athletes better movement techniques cells move so their spread can ultimately be slowed. bronchopulmonary Using genetic manipula- as a watch — is the first portable device to heal that will reduce lower-body injuries. Fdysplasia, a chronic tion and drug treatment, chronic wounds with low-frequency ultrasound. ancer’s deadly nature lung disease that affects up the researchers increased very young athlete the subsequent spring sea- lies largely in its abil- to 15,000 premature babies autophagy in newborn mice hronic wounds affect up Drexel; with several faculty shares the same deep- son, the coaches for all the City to spread. When each year in the United exposed to high levels of to 6 million patients affiliated with the School Eseated fear when they teams attended a preventive doctors can keep tumors States, what heals can also supplemental oxygen. The Cin the United States of Biomedical Engineering, step onto the field of play: training program and were contained and protect hurt. The supplemental increase in autophagy pro- and more than $20 billion Science and Health Systems: a knee injury, especially a instructed to implement the unaffected organs in the oxygen physicians admin- tected the cells from dying is spent on their treatment Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, tear of the anterior cruciate training prior to practices body, they can reduce ister to compensate for the and increased survival in each year, so even modest professor of nursing in ligament, and the taxing and games. cancer’s lethality. babies’ developing lungs the mouse models of bron- reductions in healing time the College of Nursing and rehabilitation process that The athletes were graded So it follows that if doc- can increase pulmonary chopulmonary dysplasia. are beneficial. Health Professions; Michael comes with it. before and after each season tors were able to pinpoint damage, causing lifelong The researchers also A team of Drexel research- Neidrauer, research assis- Prevention is key. A using a system that evalu- tumor cells and stop them complications. tested human lung tissue of ers have an ideal solution. tant professor; and Leonid new study conducted by ated specific jump-landing in their tracks, it would go Researchers from Drexel premature infants with the They’ve developed an Zubkov, research professor. researchers at Drexel’s Col- tasks in order to predict a long way toward limiting and Yale University have disease and found similar inexpensive, wristwatch-size In 2013, the research- lege of Medicine, the Uni- injury risk. According to the the damage done by cancer. found that by inducing levels of increased au- instrument that can speed ers tested the device on 20 versity of Connecticut and results, the training pro- autophagy — a process tophagy, suggesting it is a up slow-healing injuries. patients from Weingarten’s California State University gram enhanced movement that allows cells to survive natural process that could Since the device is compact, wound healing clinic. Ap- in Fresno shows that when technique for the majority environmental stress by dis- be modulated to improve lightweight and portable, plying the ultrasound at youth coaches receive even of soccer players, regardless assembling and repurposing health outcomes, Bhandari patients may one day be a frequency of 20kHz for a small amount of educa- of whether they were on less essential components says. The next steps will be able to use it in their homes, 15-minute intervals proved tion about preventive teams that employed ath- — they are able to decrease to replicate the results and avoiding the high costs and to be the most effective training, they can be as ef- letic trainers for preventive lung injury in mice exposed eventually test the method other inconveniences associ- combination of energy and fective as professional ath- training. There was also no to high concentrations of in clinical trials with hu- ated with frequent doctor’s duration. All five patients letic trainers at mitigating difference in score improve- _RYAN PETRIE oxygen. The study, pub- man patients. office visits. in the group that received poor movement behavior ments between the fall and Petrie is an assistant lished in the American Journal The device heals by send- this combination of treat- professor in the and preventing injury in spring season, suggesting College of Arts and of Respiratory Cell and Molecu- “We thought if we ing low-frequency — 20 ment had healed completely young soccer athletes. that well-trained coaches Sciences. lar Biology, offers a potential kilohertz (kHz) — ultra- by the end of the four-week To find out whether can be as effective as profes- new solution for preventing could enhance sonic sound waves directly treatment period. Overall, a 90-minute educational sionals at implementing New research from Drexel’s conditions like bronchopul- autophagy in the to the chronic wound, where the study demonstrated workshop could be an ef- injury-prevention warmups. College of Arts and Sciences monary dysplasia. lungs, then we could ultrasound has been shown that the new treatment fective way to train coaches “We now know that if could have implications “When a cell is under to stimulate blood flow and improved healing by 15 in injury prevention, the we use a shorter duration for the study of cancer cell extreme stress, autophagy is decrease cell death. reduce swelling. percent per week. researchers randomly as- prevention program for migration by showing that a self-sacrificing, protective And that’s exactly The device was developed Based on those results, signed 12 youth soccer teams coaches (10 to 15 minutes), certain tumor cells (fibrosar- response. The cell conserves by a team headed by Peter the National Institutes of to two groups. During the we can help reduce the risk coma) are unable to perform energy by getting rid of its what we saw.” Lewin, the Richard B. Beard Health awarded the team fall season, one group had of injury, and coaches are a certain kind of movement nonessential organelles,” distinguished university about $3 million to test the athletic trainers lead the willing to do them,” says that normal connective tis- says Vineet Bhandari, a professor in the School of therapy on 120 patients teams through a program Thomas Trojian, a professor sue cells can perform. faculty member in the Col- Biomedical Engineering, over five years, starting in before every practice, while in the College of Medicine Since cells’ nuclei are big ON_THE_MARCH lege of Medicine and chief Science and Health Systems; 2017. By using diagnostic the control group performed and chief medical officer and rigid, they can’t easily A microscopic image of a tumor cell migrating through of neonatal medicine at St. and Michael S. Weingarten, monitoring of blood flow its normal warmup. Prior to for Drexel Athletics. squeeze through three- collagen. Petrie’s research studied cell movement — and Christopher’s Hospital for professor of surgery and in the wound tissue, the ROOM AIR EXCESS OXYGEN
dimensional structures. lack thereof — in rat tail and cattle skin collagen. . Children. “We thought that chief of vasular surgery at clinical trial will also de- When such a structure if we were able to enhance the College of Medicine and termine how nutrition and center (called a matrix at the cel- the piston-style movement secondary tumors,” Petrie of fibroblasts in specific autophagy in the lungs, medical director of the Com- inflammation impact wound lular level) is encountered, when certain protease says. “To fully understand three-dimensional tissues then we could decrease cell prehensive Limb Salvage and closure, making treatment imaging normal cells can switch to enzymes are present and the mechanisms which like dermis [skin] and death. And that’s exactly Wound Healing Program at customization a possibility. cell a form of movement that highly active. The tumor drive normal and pathologi- cartilage could help to heal what we saw.” TORIN 2 RPTOR (+/-)
creates a pressure differ- cells are left to effectively cal cell movement, we must drexel difficult-to-treat wounds,” To test if increasing cell
ential inside the cell by chew their way through study cell migration in the Petrie explains. “Under- self-destruction in the lungs When mouse lungs are exposed in moving the nucleus, like the matrix. three-dimensional environ- standing the fundamental could actually decrease cell to high concentrations of
a piston in an engine. But “Cell migration is a lethal ments, such as the ones taken molecular mechanisms death — and ultimately supplemental oxygen, there is a team led by Ryan Petrie, characteristic of metastatic found in our tissues.” , driving the movement of prevent lung injury — increased cell death, as noted
petrie by increased bright green SCORING_SYSTEM an assistant professor in tumors, where malig- The research has impli- these cell types will be Bhandari and his team staining of the protein in the
The Landing Error Scoring System is a clinical assessment the College of Arts and Sci- nant cells begin to move cations beyond just fight- ryan essential for designing targeted a regular protein : upper right photo. When au- tool used to identify individuals at risk for lower extremity ences, found that fibrosar- inappropriately and spread ing cancer cells. rational therapeutic strate- called RPTOR, which, when tophagy is increased by using problems, such as an ACL injury. coma cells can’t perform through the body to form “Promoting movement cancer gies in the future.” inhibited, is responsible a drug (Torin2) or by genetic methods, cell death decreases.
70 EXELmagazine.org 71 _MEDICINE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
PARASITOLOGY BIOLOGY GENOMICS _BUG ZAPPER _DOUBLE DUTY _THEORY OF EVOLUTION _FINAL DESTINATION Two new antimalarial drugs increase cholesterol in he discovery that a par- Researchers have made progress in understanding A new study reveals a key facilitator that helps neurons a malaria parasite’s plasma membrane, making it too ticular protein doesn’t how a common pathogen causes the chronic lung arrive safely as they travel through the human brain — stiff to pass through the bloodstream. Tjust give cells jobs but infections in cystic fibrosis patients. and could provide insight into how disorders develop. also sticks around to teach ow do you kill a ma- researchers first tested the them to perform their new study published in Genome laria parasite? Clog it properties of the Plasmo- assignments could provide Research, provided the patho- neuron’s journey from MICROTUBULES_FUNCTIONALITY Hwith cholesterol. dium plasma membrane — insight into schizophrenia. gen’s first comprehensive its birthplace to a dis- Until recently, the school of thought ac- A team led by Akhil the parasite’s outer skin — A team of Drexel re- genome-phenome analyses. A tant location within cepted that microtubules’ main functions vesicle Vaidya, a professor in the before and after exposure searchers discovered that The researchers collected the brain is essential for all were to grow longer and shorter, making College of Medicine and to antimalarial drugs. the protein, called TCF4, re- 215 bacterial samples over of our most basic physiologi- them merely passive players in the migra- director of the Center for They hypothesized that mains present in cells after time from 16 cystic fibrosis cal functions: sight, hear- tion of neurons to their final destinations. Molecular Parasitology, the naturally low cholester- neurogenesis — the process _JOSHUA patients and found that ing, touch, etc. Researchers assumed that all function- has discovered an unusual ol content of the Plasmodium by which jobless cells are CHANG MELL long-term infection leads A new study from Drexel ally relevant microtubules in migrating motor protein Mell is an assistant mechanism that allows two membrane permits greater turned into signal-carrying professor in the Col- to significant genetic and researchers sheds light on neurons were attached to the centrosome, new antimalarial drugs flexibility for the para- neurons that transmit lege of Medicine. physical changes, such as the parts of the brain that the main microtubule organizating center microtubule to operate. By giving the site to travel through the information through the progressive declines in bac- help make that journey — of a cell. Microtubules were thought to body. Scientists believed terial motility and changes and everything that relies support the movement of vesicles along that TCF4 degraded and dis- ystic fibrosis is the in biofilm formation. on it — possible. The slid- their surface but were considered com- appeared at that stage, but world's most common “By looking at changes ing movements of a small pletely stationary themselves, due to their researchers found that TCF4 Cfatal genetic disorder, in the genome over time, group of cellular structures attachment to the centrosome. actually sticks around and caused by a gene mutation we could see patterns,” says — called microtubules — restricts the number of syn- that leads to a buildup of study co-corresponding au- play a key role in keeping apses these neurons make, mucus in the lungs and thor Joshua Chang Mell. neurons on a smooth, effectively instructing the creates an optimal environ- Researchers were sur- proper trajectory, according cells’ job performance. ment for some bacteria to prised to find that some to research from a team led The protein is called thrive. Among those bacte- bacterial traits typically by Peter Baas, a professor "Daughterless" in Drosophila, in the College of Medicine DIVISIVE_EFFECT or fruit flies, where its per- and the study’s principal After two hours of exposure to new antimalarial drugs, sistence was discovered. investigator. the malaria parasite shows signs of premature division. “We think that TCF4 is The discovery could _NEW DISCOVERY most likely involved in ultimately help scientists Using electron tomography as
well as live-cell imaging — the parasite’s skin a boost in bloodstream, and that the helping to form the proper better understand how neu- most rigorous imaging meth- cholesterol, the drugs pre- sodium increase caused by number of synapses a aiero rons gone astray contribute P ods available —the researchers vent it from easily slipping the drugs somehow inter- neuron makes, so that the to neurodevelopmental found that a small group of microtubules (green) were not
through the human blood- feres with that elasticity. information flow in the drianna disorders, Baas says. A stream to infect red blood Just two hours after nervous system doesn’t get “This study is important attached to the centrosome
and (blue), and that motor proteins
cells. The drugs also seem treatment, the scientists confused and dysfunction- ee for understanding how a can actually slide these unat- L to trick the parasite into saw that many of the al,” says Daniel Marenda, healthy brain is organized,” tached microtubules within the my A
: neuron as it migrates. reproducing prematurely, parasites showed frag- associate professor in the Baas says. “If neurons do cell rendering it inert. mented nuclei and interior College of Arts and Sciences not know when to start mi- A_LITTLE_SLIDING_IS_KEY neuron Malaria is caused by membranes — precursors and a program director grating, or where to go, or A Researchers found that mi- urkholderia
Plasmodium parasites that to cell division — without at the National Science B if the axons don’t grow long grating neurons display a small
. A invade a victim’s red blood any sign that the parasite’s Foundation. “When you DEADLY_COLONY enough, that sort of thing amount of microtubule sliding and aidya V cells when the victim is bit- genome had multiplied. lose these proteins, you sud- Colorized image of colony morphologies of 96 Burkholderia can give way to disorders migrate on a consistent path. ten by an infected mosquito. By prematurely inducing denly get too many synapses cenocepacia isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. such as autism.” vinash A Several drugs under this signaling event, the and it disrupts nervous By manipulating levels of B By adding a drug that keeps by development interrupt this drugs effectively halt the system function.” ria is Burkholderia cenocepacia, associated with pathogenesis key proteins, the research- the microtubules from sliding, the cell life cycle, including a class parasite’s advances. The findings are particu- a deadly species that is eas- (namely motility and biofilm ers now know that even researchers saw that the neurons neuron colored of compounds Vaidya dis- “Nobody suspected larly important because of ily transmitted and often formation) actually became - the smallest alterations frequently changed direction and covered in 2014, which he something like this to be the association TCF4 gene resistant to antibiotics. less pronounced over time. can greatly change the buckled, instead of migrating in a pseudo
B and his team found increase the mode of action,” says variants have with schizo- Researchers had a poor “This suggests that one morphology and migra- simple, straight line. “That little
levels of sodium within Vaidya, who published the phrenia and Pitt-Hopkins understanding of how the way the bacterium may oppens tory behavior of a neuron, bit of sliding that normally occurs C a parasite’s cells, causing findings inPLOS Pathogens. Syndrome, a neurodevelop- bacteria adapt to a cystic be adapting to long-term which can translate to is really important for maneuver- them to swell and erupt. “The mechanism is a lot mental disorder. fibrosis lung to sustain chronic lung infection is developmental problems. ability,” Baas says. sabelle I centrosome drug
But until recently, sci- more complicated and There is also evidence long-term chronic infec- by becoming less aggressive by
entists didn’t understand interesting than we origi- that neurons making too tions, but scientists from and thus potentially more EM sliding microtubule microtubule sliding microtubule / buckling why this kills the parasite. nally thought.” many synapses are associ- Drexel and the University able to avoid the immune :
To find an answer, the ated with autism. of British Columbia, in a system,” Mell says. alaria M
72 EXELmagazine.org 73 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
hen beatrice harrison first came to Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care in Brooklyn more than a year ago, she was de- pressed. The 94-year-old had difficulty thinking clearly and chose W to spend most days alone in her room — eating by herself and watching old television shows. Then she met Kendra Ray, a board-certified music therapist and New York state-licensed creative arts therapist at Menorah. Dur- ing their first session, Ray played the melody to “I Have Dreamed” _KENDRA RAY on her flute, written by Beatrice’s favorite artist, Frank Sinatra. Ray is a 2017 doctoral graduate of the Col- lege of Nursing and i h a v e d r e a m e d t h a t y o u r a r m s a r e l o v e ly / a n d i h a v e Health Professions and a board-certified d r e a m e d w h a t a j o y y o u ’ l l b e / i h a v e d r e a m e d e v ’ r y music therapist. She is w o r d y o u ’ l l w h i s p e r / w h e n y o u ’ r e c l o s e , c l o s e t o m e a creative arts therapist at Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nurs- “When Kendra plays music, I go into another world,” says Bea- ing Care in Brooklyn. trice, eyes moist. “I feel my mind calm and my body start to move. I feel like I am 20 again, seeing Frankie with my mother at the Para- mount Theater in New York City. I can still remember the miles of people lined up to see him. He brought the house down that night.”
a l o n e i n t h e d a r k b u t n o w y o u ’ v e c o m e a - l o n g
Can the power of music help people with dementia reconnect with the world around them? College of Nurs - ing and Health Professions recent doctoral graduate Kendra Ray and her colleagues know that it can, because they see it every day.
b y c a r o ly n s a y r e / illustration b y s a m u e l h o s k i n s
74 EXELmagazine.org 75 _FEATURE _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
m a n y n i g h t s i ’ d s i t b y m y w i n d o w / w a i t i n g f o r In the months since Beatrice began music therapy, she has come alive again, the staff say. s o m e o n e t o s i n g m e h i s s o n g / s o m a n y d r e a m s i She appears happier, participates in activities and socializes at mealtime. k e p t d e e p i n s i d e m e / a l o n e i n t h e d a r k , b u t n o w Her weekly sessions have also had a profound effect on her memory. Beatrice suffers from “There is evidence of a music memory in the brain’s neural y o u ’ v e c o m e a l o n g throughout the United States and the world. The training dementia, and she often forgets her own age; but when she hears a familiar tune, her care- pathways that is robust and can be preserved or reactivated manual teaches caregivers how to use singing and back- givers say that it is as if a light turns on in her mind. That simple Sinatra ballad not only when other mechanisms in the brain are lost,” says Loewy. “You light up my life,” he sings, filling in the last line ground music to make people more alert and receptive invoked a story about the concert, but it offered a gateway into dozens of lost memories from “When people are plugged into music, they are turned on of the chorus. When the music stops, Abe’s body animates to care in stressful situations such as bathing, dressing her youth, including childhood piano lessons, her father’s career as a singing waiter, seeing and tuned in — it is the difference between a battery, which as if it were a wind-up toy waiting to turn on and he claps or wound care. For example, the booklet lists songs that “Man of La Mancha” on Broadway and watching Julie Andrews. might be temporary and run out (a usual thought), and be- loudly in appreciation. can create a calming atmosphere for residents, including With the door to the past ajar, Ray begins to play a song from “The Sound of Music.” ing plugged into a constant current of electricity, fueled “Kendra lights up my life when she comes here,” he says. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” or “Beyond the Sea.” It also by melody, rhythm and contextual circumstances, which “I just love music.” encourages caregivers to tailor music to the individual. i g o t o t h e h i l l s w h e n m y h e a r t i s l o n e ly / i k n o w i w i l l h e a r w h a t i ’ v e include the place and time affiliates where the music’s im- Three years ago, when Abe first came into nursing care, MUSIC THERAPY: The protocol was used to train dozens of registered nurses h e a r d b e f o r e / m y h e a r t w i l l b e b l e s s e d w i t h t h e s o u n d o f m u s i c / a n d print was first made.” he was disoriented and would scream constantly for help. WHAT THE and certified nursing assistants (CNA) at Menorah. Shernett i ’ l l s i n g o n c e m o r e Remarkably, this response is seen in every stage of de- After three months of music therapy, he became calmer and RESEARCH SAYS Williams, a CNA, says music-assisted care training has been mentia, says Ray. Patients with mild cases can improve cog- was easier to bathe and dress. Music interventions help al- particularly helpful with bathing — an activity only 10 per- For Beatrice, and for so many other residents, the power of music helps them do just nitive skills such as memory, language and attention; while “I have come a long way, baby,” he says in jest — a part of leviate symptoms of anxiety, cent of nursing home residents can perform independently. that — “sing” once more. those with moderate symptoms become more engaged and his humorous personality that reappears when he is with pain and fatigue in cancer “When residents are agitated, we turn on the iPod and For the past nine years, as part of a music therapy program at Menorah, Ray has worked participative, which greatly improves their quality of life. Ray. “Back then, I could not even move my hands. Now, patients, while also boosting immediately we see them calm down,” she explains. “Some with patients who have dementia to remember their pasts through music. Many of them suf- “With the power of music, residents retain their dignity look at me move.” their quality of life, according of my residents refuse to participate in any activities, but fer from the slow neurodegenerative symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which destroys brain because they remember who they are and where they have Part of Ray’s technique is to create a playlist for each resi- to a systematic review of the when there is music they listen and sing along.” cells and leads to cognitive decline, impaired judgment and difficulty with daily activities. been in the past,” explains Ray. “This helps ground the pa- dent’s tastes and personality. A self-proclaimed romantic, science of music therapy. Ray’s work has also had an impact abroad. Melissa Mer- Ray is not only a music therapist, she’s also a young researcher and influential author in tient in the present when they are confused. From this, we Abe’s favorites are love songs, so Ray uses songs like “The cadal-Brotons, director of the Music Therapy Program at the the field, who used her experiences at Menorah to inform her studies as a doctoral student see a decrease in the symptoms of dementia, including agi- Power of Love” to help him connect with his emotions. She Led by Joke Bradt, associate Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Spain, has used in the Creative Arts Therapies program in Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Profes- tation, feelings of sadness, hallucinations and wandering.” also selects uplifting songs when the individual’s mood is professor in Drexel’s Col- her book to train over 300 professional caregivers in 13 nurs- sions. She says that Drexel’s program, which is one of only a few in the Northeast, helped That was certainly the case with Donald Miller, 76, a jazz sad or anxious. Using flute, guitar, maracas and drums, Ray lege of Nursing and Health ing homes throughout the country. her hone the research writing skills she needed to publish her music therapy observations musician who once traveled the world. His health deterio- creates an uplifting, calming ambiance. Professions, a team reviewed “Kendra Ray’s work has been inspirational in helping in scientific journals. rated after he lost the love of his life to cancer. When he “To achieve good outcomes in people with dementia, we controlled clinical trials that us develop a way for caregivers to use music in their daily One of her studies, which was part of a three-year study funded by the New York State came to Menorah, Donald was lost, depressed, heartbroken need to do more than just play their preferred song,” ex- examined the impact of music work and what elements to consider when selecting music Department of Health, found that after only two weeks of music therapy, symptoms of de- and in great physical pain. plains Ray. “We want them to associate a song with an emo- therapy (a personalized music to use,” says Mercadal-Brotons. “Residents are more coop- pression decreased 38 percent and feelings of agitation declined 16 percent in nursing home “Through music therapy, we see him starting to come tion or situation that they are dealing with. When I first experience offered by trained erative and content, which makes the caregivers’ job feel residents with dementia. Since then, Ray and her team have developed a music-assisted back,” says his sister, Fran Miller. “Donald wants to be in- sang to Abe, all he would do was cry. Over time, we developed music therapists) and music more satisfying.” care training manual that is being adopted by more than 600 nursing homes throughout volved, he wants to be alive and he is engaged again.” a therapeutic relationship and a safe space where he could medicine (listening to pre- In the future, Ray hopes to extend music-assisted care New York, as well as additional facilities across the nation and overseas in Canada, Israel, But perhaps the most extraordinary effects occur in the process those feelings. Music became his release.” recorded music provided by a training and education to family caregivers, who are inte- Spain and Nigeria. later stages of dementia. By using word associations within song lyrics, Ray has doctor or nurse) on psycho- gral to the long-term care process. By 2050, the number of “Music therapy is a bridge for communication that would otherwise have been lost in “Even when language has deteriorated to the point that also been able to help Abe tap into past experiences. Over logical and physical outcomes people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease is expected people with dementia,” says Ray, a longtime musician who aspired to be a nurse as a child. a person has lost the ability to speak, miraculously the mu- time, as they have developed a rapport, Abe has delved fur- in people with cancer. to triple, and Ray and Dassa of the Ramat-Gan Alzheimer’s “Hearing that familiar song activates an area of muscle memory in the brain and helps them sic memory stays intact,” explains Ayelet Dassa, director of ther into these memories including trips to Scandinavia, “We found that music Research and Treatment Center believe it is essential that find the words they are searching for.” Creative Arts Therapies and Research at the Ramat-Gan Al- working as a construction plumber and his close relation- therapy interventions specifi- families find ways to integrate music at home. zheimer’s Research and Treatment Center in Israel who co- ship with his brother. cally help improve patients’ wrote a book chapter about music therapy with Ray (it was quality of life,” explains Bradt. i c a n s e e c l e a r ly n o w t h e r a i n i s g o n e recently published in Update on Dementia). “These individuals “These are important findings some were born to sing the blues are able to communicate through music when words fail. lean on me when you're not strong as these outcomes play an Philosophers dating back to Aristotle and Plato have believed that music promotes healing. Songs help them relive past experience. It is magical to wit- important role in patients’ When Ray places Donald Miller’s saxophone on the bedside References to music therapy can be found in medicine as early as 1789, and the profession ness the entire world come alive again in their brain.” Over the years, Ray has helped more than 100 residents overall well-being.” table, it’s clear he’s eager for an audience. He opens the case, formally organized after World War II, when musicians started visiting veterans’ hospi- through the power of song. But a few years ago, she wanted The researchers reviewed a assembles the pieces and licks the bottom piece like a mae- tals. Physicians noticed that patients were comforted when they heard familiar songs and to do more. She knew the statistics were daunting. There are total of 52 trials, constituting stro. The nurse picks up a rain stick to play along. He insists hired musicians to play in the wards. Today, there are more than 6,000 credentialed music they can’t take that away from me more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease 3,731 participants with can- they play “Misty” — and only “Misty” — and blows with all therapists nationwide. and dementia in the United States and only 7,500 music ther- cer. Twenty-three of the trials his might. Since the birth of the music therapy profession in the 1940s, research has continually af- That magic is apparent in Abe M., an 80-year-old resident at apists nationwide. Furthermore, nearly 50 percent of all res- were categorized as music firmed its profound physiological and psychological benefits. Studies have shown song has Menorah. When Ray first walks into his room, Abe appears idents in nursing homes suffer from symptoms of dementia. therapy and the remaining i ’ m a s h e l p l e s s a s a k i t t e n u p a t r e e / a n d i the power to calm the heart rate in premature infants, coordinate movements in individuals lackluster under the stark white bed sheet. His breathing “Unfortunately, very few of these music therapists work 29 were classified as music f e e l l i k e i ’ m c l i n g i n g t o a c l o u d / i c a n ’ t u n - with Parkinson’s disease, decrease anxiety and pain in cancer patients, and regulate breath- is deep and haggard. in nursing homes where their work can improve the lives medicine interventions. d e r s t a n d / i g e t m i s t y , j u s t h o l d i n g y o u r h a n d ing in individuals with lung disease. Ray takes out her guitar and begins to strum the strings. of residents with dementia,” explains Ray. “To reach more One of the most impactful “Through music therapy, we are able to do things where routine pharmacological agents “Do you know this song?” she asks. residents, we needed to train nursing assistants to use mu- findings was that music inter- Ray asks him about the song choice. “It reminds me of the or conventional medical regimens may prove limited,” says Joanne Loewy, director of the “Yes,” he responds as the corner of his lips perk up. sic. Nursing assistants spend the most time with residents ventions of all kinds resulted old days when I was hanging out with my friends in Bermuda Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at New York City–based Mount Sinai Health Abe’s wide eyes fixate on Ray, his chest begins to rise and and when they integrate music into their care, it can sig- in a moderate-to-strong effect playing jazz,” says Donald. “That, and I like Clint Eastwood.” System, who teaches music and medicine to Drexel graduate students. fall calmly, and his hands move slightly yet rhythmically nificantly reduce symptoms of agitation and depression.” in reducing patients’ anxiety. He gazes outside at the rain falling on the windowpane Studies show that music activates large areas of the brain. In fact, when brain activity is to the beat. To help educate nurses and other caregivers, Ray and When it came to pain reduc- and lets out a slow, deep breath. His body reclines back in the examined in real time using a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, areas related her colleagues used funding from the state of New York to tion, the researchers found a chair as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, if to movement, planning, attention and memory immediately light up when music is played. develop a curriculum called “Music Therapy: Keys to De- large treatment benefit; for only for a few moments. It is obvious from his demeanor These functions are some of the first faculties to be affected by dementia. mentia Care,” which has been implemented in facilities fatigue, a small-to-moderate that the lyrics represent so much more. For Donald and so treatment effect was found. many others, the world, it appears, is just a little brighter when it is filled with music.
76 EXELmagazine.org 77 _CULTURE / SOCIETY _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
_ONLINE To read the full-length articles that appear in this section, visit EXELmagazine.org. HUNGER _DON’T WASTE THAT FOOD
Products made from surplus ingredients that would otherwise contribute to the nation’s food waste can be transformed into recipes that are appealing to consumers.
merican households are TRENDY_SPREAD estimated to collec- Rescued Relish is a A tively throw away 80 prototype for a condiment billion pounds of food each made from excess grocery year. Many ingredients are produce and distributed by also discarded during the Philabundance, a Philadel- manufacturing process and phia anti-hunger organiza- perfectly edible produce tion, under the brand name deemed ugly doesn’t make Abundantly Good. it to grocery displays. Meanwhile, more than 42 million Americans experi- with the Drexel Food Lab in ence food insecurity. the past. To address the problem, The researchers con- Drexel researchers set out ducted a series of tests as a to learn whether people first attempt to understand would eat products made a consumer’s decision-mak- from what would have ing process with respect to become food waste. They the new food category of found out that consumers value-added surplus foods. might even prefer it. They examined three prod- The research sought to uct cues for value-added _JONATHAN DEUTSCH _HASAN AYAZ discover if foods made from surplus products: product _RAJNEESH SURI surplus ingredients — description, label and ben- Deutsch is a professor in the Center for Food and termed value-added surplus efit (to self or others). Hospitality Management and products (VASP) — that The results showed that in the Department of Nutri - would have been otherwise participants clearly identi- tion Sciences in the College of Nursing and Health wasted can offer envi- fied value-added surplus Professions; Ayaz is an as - ronmental, nutritional, foods as a unique category sociate research professor in the School of Biomedical financial and gastronomic with unique perception, Engineering, Science and benefits if appropriately separate from organic and Health Systems; and Suri is marketed to consumers. conventional categories, a professor and vice dean for research and strategic “There is an economic, and that they believed partnerships in the LeBow environmental and cul- consuming valued-added College of Business. tural argument for keeping surplus products would food, when possible, as generate benefits for people food and not trash,” says other than themselves. Jonathan Deutsch, a profes- Not only could these sor in the Center for Food types of foods be a good and Hospitality Manage- thing for society as a ment and in the Depart- whole, but they could also TERM: ment of Nutrition Sciences prove lucrative. VALUE-ADDED in the College of Nursing “Depending upon how SURPLUS PRODUCT and Health Professions. you communicate such “Converting surplus foods products, they might also (VASP) into value-added products be able to fetch a price pre- A food category coined by will feed people, create op- mium, like those afforded researchers to describe portunities for employment to organic foods,” says foods created from and entrepreneurship, and Rajneesh Suri, professor surplus ingredients or lower the environmental and vice dean for research ingredients obtained impact of wasted resourc- and strategic partnerships during the manufacturing es,” says Deutsch, who has in the LeBow College of of other foods. created “upcycled” products Business. drexel food lab
78 EXELmagazine.org 79 _CULTURE / SOCIETY _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
EQUALITY EDUCATION INFORMATICS ECONOMICS SOCIOLOGY _SIDELINES BIAS _MAKING SPACE FOR ALL _CAN DATA HAVE AN AGENDA? _GYM VIG _INSTA-SUPPORT
A new study helps illuminate why fewer women are School “makerspaces” have enormous potential to foster learning If we’re not careful in how big data is collected , Now there's proof you Instagram has become a destination for some people coaching college sport teams than in years past. and engagement, but need to be inclusive of all learners. the samples we use to improve public policy will can't even pay people making sensitive and stigmatized self-disclosures. only reinforce existing problems. to go workout. s the number of women And it’s a trend showing rexel researchers in espite all the negative ments,” Andalibi says. coaching in college no signs of improvement. the ExCITe Center’s ig data is supposed to new study co-authored criticism social media To investigate the mat- Aathletics dwindles, a There are more women D Learning Innovation OTHER HIGHLIGHTS solve what ails us: by Mark Stehr, an as- Dattracts, it can still ter, Forte and Andalibi study commissioned by the competing and working initiative have completed a FROM THE REPORT: Bfrom telling us what Asociate professor in the be a force for good, or so examined the responses to Women’s Sports Foundation in college sports than ever first-of-its-kind, year-long book we might want to read School of Economics at the Drexel researchers found a sample of 800 Instagram • The culture of a maker- and co-authored by a Drexel before, but women are still investigation visiting 30 space has a direct impact next to directing police to LeBow College of Business, in studying the way Insta- posts pulled from more sport management professor underrepresented in signif- K–12 education “maker- on student learning. Rather where a crime is likely to be found that paying new gym gram users lean on the site than 95,000 photos tagged highlights some of the pro- icant leadership roles. In spaces” across eight met- than choosing equipment or committed. members as an incentive to to help find solace from with “#depression” that fessional challenges female 1972, more than 90 percent ropolitan regions to study specific projects, designers But if the data from _JULIA STOYANOVICH work out more often had depression. were posted by 24,920 coaches face. of the coaches of women’s what approaches work best, of new makerspaces should which those predictions are Stoyanovich is an as- little impact in changing Even in today’s tech- unique users over the first consider the kind of sistant professor of com- “Beyond X’s & O’s: teams were female. Today, and for whom. learning culture they seek made is slanted, the results puter science in Drexel’s their exercise habits. nology-connected society, course of a month. The Gender Bias and Coaches only 43 percent are (typi- Through in-depth inter- to create. will be, too, and continue to College of Computing & The paper, forthcom- people are hesitant to findings — which Andal- of Women’s College Sports” cally only two in 10 head views with and observation reinforce a status quo that Informatics. ing in the Journal of Health talk about their painful ibi and Forte co-authored is one of the first studies coaches are women). of students, instructors and • Makerspaces can positively keeps people and communi- Economics, described a experiences and suffering with Pinar Ozturk, who impact English language to measure the issue of According to the re- leadership, the researchers learners and students ties disenfranchised. of the models but also that study that randomized 836 for fear of being stigma- was a doctoral candidate systemic gender bias in the searchers’ findings, men found encouraging indica- facing disciplinary issues, For example, consider the the data on which they de- new members of a private tized. Doctoral candidate at Stevens Institute of coaching of women’s college are given more professional tors for increased student but the language and example of algorithms that pend respects relevant laws, gym into four groups. One Nazanin Andalibi and Technology at the time — sports. In a survey of more advantages than women: engagement in school imagery used for recruit- determine where to send societal norms and impacts received a $30 payment associate professor Andrea indicate that not only are ment is often gendered and than 2,500 college coaches, The vast majority of female through makerspace partici- noninclusive, affecting who patrol cars. on the people from whom regardless of the number of Forte, both of the College people using Instagram to Drexel’s Center for Sport coaches (80 percent) agree pation and development of participates. “These decisions are go- the data are collected. times they went to the gym of Computing & Informat- make sensitive disclosures, Management Professor that it’s easier for men to a “maker mindset” that fo- ing to be based on historical “Suppose you have a in their first six weeks as ics, observed that one way but they are also getting Ellen Staurowsky and her get top-level jobs, negoti- cuses on creation, iteration, • Within school makerspaces, data, and that historical judge who is racist. After a members; the other three people in pain are over- mostly positive support hosting unstructured open co-authors found that there ate salary increases (91 agency and collaboration. hours outside of class en- data includes information while, it becomes clear that groups received a payment is, in fact, a systemic gender percent), be promoted (70 They also found room courages greater explora- all African Americans get if they attended the gym bias directed at female percent) and secure multi- for improvement. One tion, positive risk-taking “What we need are longer sentences by that at least nine times over the coaches of women’s teams; year contracts (67 percent). insight was the discovery and collaboration for a different ways of judge,” says Stoyanovich. first six weeks. The pay- it is not sporadic or limited Meanwhile, advocating of troubling inclusivity wider range of students. Identifying the culprit in ments were a $30 Amazon #depression to a few institutions. As a for fairness has conse- _KAREEM EDOUARD indicators, particularly • Students frequently use looking at the data those harsher sentences is gift card, a $60 Amazon gift result, women face limita- quences, the study found. _KATELYN ALDERFER regarding gender. Student skills learned in maker- not hard: it’s that judge. “In card or an item from Ama- tions in pay and profes- Many female coaches ex- _BRIAN SMITH participation rates change spaces to improve other analysis pipeline, the case of data-driven ana- zon that was worth $30. _YOUNGMOO KIM aspects of the school and 95,000 posts Edouard is a senior sional advancement in the pressed fear of unfair treat- between grade school, local community, such as step by step.” lytics, it isn’t really clear The authors decided to coaching workplace. ment, retaliation and loss research fellow of learn- where participation is how we can detect that re- study a group of people who ing innovation in the student government ac- —Julia Stoyanovich of their jobs if they express Expressive and Creative nearly equal by gender, and tivities, classroom mainte- sults are biased, whose fault had already engaged in Title IX concerns to athletic Interaction Technologies high school, where male nance and sports facilities. about where we were previ- it is, and how to correct costly actions such as join- Over the course of a month, researchers examined 1972 (ExCITe) Center; Alderfer department leaders or uni- is a doctoral candidate in students outnumber fe- ously heavily policing,” it. If big data systems are ing a gym and paying mem- responses to a sample of 800 Instagram posts pulled versity administrators. the School of Education; males by a factor of three. says Julia Stoyanovich in racist, that racism is very bership fees, signaling an from more than 95,000 photos tagged with “#depres - “The findings are consis- Smith is a professor in In addition, program lead- the College of Computing & scalable,” she says. “The intention to use the gym. sion” that were posted by 24,920 unique users. the School of Education; tent with earlier studies Kim is a professor of ers and instructors remain Informatics. “The reason we effects are going to be an They found that additional I’ve done that strongly electrical and computer predominantly male. send police cars is not neces- entire county, for example, incentives for visits early coming silence is by using from people on the site, engineering and director suggest cultures within of the ExCITe Center. sarily because crime is more not just a few particular during a new gym member- pictures on Instagram to and little in the way of college sport workplaces pervasive in those areas, but cases the judge hears.” ship were only marginally help explain feelings and negative or aggressive suppress discussions because in the past, we were By creating guidelines effective at helping people experiences that are often comments. regarding gender equity over-policing those areas.” that detect and mitigate bi- to increase their exercise, too painful or complicated “The period of think- and Title IX compliance Stoyanovich is the lead ases at the start in the way and had no effect on the to put into words. ing online life is not ‘real and are threatening to researcher on a new study data are collected, Stoyanov- number of visits after the Forte and Andalibi life’ has passed, and these the women working in funded by the National ich and her team hope that incentive period. had previously observed spaces have the potential 2017 those environments,” Science Foundation that bias can be kept out of the “People greatly over- similar self-disclosure and to play meaningful roles Staurowsky says. “Given will establish foundational system before the algorithm estimate the amount support-seeking behavior in people’s lives in many the low percentages of principles of responsible spits out results that will they will exercise,” Stehr among Reddit users. ways, especially in times women who serve as head data management, which sustain those biases on a says. “This over-optimism “We wanted to see how of distress," Andalibi says. coaches in college athletic includes fairness, transpar- larger scale. is counterproductive, people might behave dif- "It is important to design _DWINDLING NUMBERS departments, this offers ency and data protection. “What we need are differ- because it allows people ferently on a more image- social technologies that In 1972, more than 90 percent of the coaches of women’s some context to consider The project, called Data ent ways of looking at the to avoid taking hard steps centric site, rather than can foster support and teams were female. Today, in terms of their hiring, Responsibly, is working to data analysis pipeline, step that are necessary to meet one that is driven solely wellbeing, and mitigate only 43 percent are female. promotion and retention.” ensure not just the accuracy by step,” she says. their goals.” by textual posts and com- abuse and harm.”
80 EXELmagazine.org 81 _CULTURE / SOCIETY _DREXEL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MAGAZINE 2018
EDUCATION MERGERS JUSTICE DESIGN BRANDING _THE SCIENCE OF CO-OP _SEEING GREEN _ADJUDICATING GENOCIDE _A BUDDING IDEA _WHAT'S IN A NAME (BRAND)?
Drexel is leading a group of higher-educational esearch consistently A study of the way nations confront the aftermath of s a student in the The relationship between internet search institutions to study how experiential learning shows that when CEOs genocide reveals new ideas about the best path to peace. Product Design pro- results and a brand’s success is more affects educational outcomes. Rof takeover target Agram of the Westphal complex than common wisdom suggests. firms receive extra benefits and interviewed judges, College of Media Arts and veryone talks about the during mergers, takeover prosecutors and human Design, Danielle Banner “Marketers have long value of hands-on expe- “We believe that this premiums are lower. rights attorneys involved in set herself a challenge: To used brand attitude surveys Erience, but how do you project will allow LeBow College of Business the legal proceedings. create a product that would to monitor brand health, but actually measure the impact professor Eliezer Fich says Two truth commis- connect people to nature. surveys are expensive and of co-op programs, civic en- us to refocus how this is often interpreted as sions released reports that From March to May fewer and fewer people want gagement, study abroad or we talk about and a conflict of interest: target documented the human 2017, she researched and to answer them,” says Elea undergraduate research? CEOs sacrifice premiums for rights abuses that occurred designed her final product: McDonnell Feit, an assistant _RACHEL LÓPEZ Schools across the coun- engage in experi- personal gain. López is an associ- in Guatemala, and those BUD, a desktop compan- _ELEA professor of marketing in try are hungry for data to However, Fich argues, ate professor of law narratives, she found, ion plant with a digitally MCDONNELL FEIT the LeBow College of Busi- ential education and and director of the Feit is an assistant evaluate how, when and this research does not tell Community Lawyering played a significant role in enabled planter that helps professor of marketing ness. “This research adds to for whom these different will guide us in how the whole story. He recent- Clinic in the Thomas R. aiding the criminal justice office workers bond with in the LeBow College the mounting evidence that modes work best. ly co-authored an article Kline School of Law. system — a complementary the outdoors. of Business. we can track brands more In 2017, Drexel took the we create model examining merger bonuses, relationship that had previ- Her research and design passively using new data first steps toward studying cross-institutional which indicates that when egal scholars often posi- ously gone unobserved by process was intense. First, sources like brand search.” the efficacy and impact of target CEOs get bonuses, tion truth commissions legal scholars. she interviewed kids, teens t’s long been believed in The study found that experiential learning in a collaborations acquirers pay less but also Las an alternative to Such findings could influ- and older adults about the advertising world users who are actively rigorous way when it and get less in the form of low seeking justice, but Associ- ence the way nations such their relationship with the Ithat the number of shopping in a category are two partner schools re- in pedagogy synergies — the gains ate Professor Rachel López as Colombia and El Salvador outdoors. She learned that times a brand’s name is more likely to search for ceived a $40,000, two-year research.” that are created when two found a much more symbiot- pursue peace and justice spending time in nature used in internet searches any brand. However, as us- initial grant for a longitu- — N. John DiNardo, special advisor to the companies merge. ic relationship between the following their civil wars, was a de-stressor for all can predict sales for that ers move from being aware dinal, cross-institutional provost and a faculty fellow in Drexel’s Fich says this evidence two that could be revelatory she says. people, no matter their brand. But new research of a brand to intending to research project titled, Center for the Advancement of STEM suggests that bonuses are for countries trying to heal “There is recent research age. However, many people from Drexel University, purchase a brand, they are “Tracking Experiential Teaching and Learning Excellence. used to revise compensation from mass atrocities. by two political scientists reported that it was dif- Brigham Young University increasingly more likely to Learning Outcomes Across contracts when takeovers López spent six months as that showed that empiri- ficult to enjoy themselves and Google shows there is a search for that brand — Three CAA Campuses.” generate small synergy a Fulbright Scholar and six cally when you employ a outdoors because of work BEST_BUD lot more to consider when with the greatest gains as This project seeks to track This initiative will also gains, helping firms circum- months as a Schell Fellow variety of mechanisms — and other commitments. The BUD comes Banner developed 20 to 30 small looking at the large num- customers go from recogni- experiential learning out- establish a centralized vent conflicts of interest at Yale Law School research- truth commissions, repara- The first prototype of with an app to clay models and five full-scale ber of search queries that tion to familiarity and from helps users set models before settling on the final comes across Drexel, the hub of data that will grow between target CEOs and ing transitional justice in tions, amnesties and trials BUD had interactive touch breaks to go out- include brand names. familiarity to consider- College of Charleston and over time, allowing deeper their shareholders. countries addressing the — you get better results for screens and “faces” that doors with their design and name. “I love puns, and ation. For example, some- the University of North understanding of experi- “More often, the bonus- human rights violations human rights and demo- would communicate with BUD throughout this is both a desk buddy and it fea - “This research one who is just beginning Carolina-Wilmington. ential learning outcomes es are present in situations of predecessor regimes. cratic consolidation,” she people, but it didn’t test the day. tures a budding plant,” she says. to consider purchasing a car The three schools aim to in education. With a suc- where the target firm was Specifically, she looked says. “But there was little well for a few reasons, adds to the mount- is more likely to start with develop a single validated cessful pilot established, a hard-to-sell company at the interplay between understanding of why there Banner says. “I was trying ing evidence that a general search that does tool to collect data across the partners hope to even- that was not very appeal- traditional criminal courts was that difference.” to integrate technology Her final version was for people with seasonal not include any brands. As a wide variety of experi- tually roll the instrument ing to potential acquirers,” with nature in a way that compact, had “legs,” could affective disorder. In 2017, a we can track the consumer narrows their ential learning activities. out nationwide. Fich says. wasn’t distracting...but interact with other BUDs, student focused on turning brands more pas- decision before a purchase, An important consider- this was distracting. I and included a seed pack fabric waste into pulp and they will start searching for ation, Fich says, is that the wanted to make BUD more so users could choose their worked with the Depart- sively using new a specific brand. merger often eliminates of a companion rather plant variety. ment of Materials Science The researchers also the target CEO’s job. An than something imper- “She did a good job of try- and Engineering in the Col- data sources like found that users who own extra payment is some- 200,000 sonal,” she says. ing to understand people’s lege of Engineering to turn brand search. and use a particular car times necessary to get the Estimated number of indigenous Mayans and Ladinos in needs. …I see it being those fibers into biodegrad- or smartphone are much —Elea McDonnell Feit target CEOs to consent to Guatemala killed in a decades-long genocide perpetrated by marketable,” says Michael able furniture. more likely to search for a U.S.-backed military regime. an acquisition. Glaser, an associate profes- The program’s philosophy By studying more than that brand, even when Fich notes that, on aver- and truth commissions, “I’m hopeful my research sor who runs the Product is to let students see where 1,500 Google users who opt- they are not actively age, the evidence related which are non-prosecutorial can give insights into how Design program. The project ideas take them — always ed in to have their searches shopping. This suggests to merger bonuses is not efforts to confront wrongdo- the interaction of the vari- earned Banner an A. with the end-user in mind. related to smartphones that a substantial volume consistent with payments ing and heal a nation. ous approaches to post-con- The Product Design pro- “We start with commu- and cars tracked for eight of brand search in these being used to “bribe” tar- López analyzed the judi- flict justice can be improved gram is young but alumni nity first, then move on to weeks, then linking the in- categories is not related to get CEOs. cial record of the cases that in practice, and also raise _DANIELLE BANNER have created successful the process and then the formation to a traditional shopping at all — some- “Oftentimes, the bonus led to convictions tied to the some questions about how Banner is a product ideas. A couple students outcomes,” says Glaser. “The brand attitude survey, the thing marketers should design major in the is a reward for achieving 36-year-long conflict in Gua- we can build justice systems Westphal College of have sold their concepts or student has to convince us researchers came away keep in mind if they see YOUNG_SCIENTISTS something that was hard to temala responsible for an that better integrate these Media Arts & Design. started a company. One for- that they made a decision with findings that could be a sudden spike in search Biology students engaged in undergraduate research at Drexel. do,” Fich says. estimated 200,000 deaths, approaches,” López says. mer student created glasses based on a user's needs.” vital to marketers. traffic for their brand.
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INNOVATION_STUDIO ounded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Drexel is a comprehen- Natural Sciences of Drexel University, America’s oldest Since 2014, Drexel has sive urban university of more than 24,000 students, natural history museum. invested $49 million and consistently ranked in America’s Top 100 by U.S. News Drexel advances its culture of innovation by encouraging delivered approximately F 40,000 square feet of new & World Report. multidisciplinary collaboration, technology commercial- and improved research Drexel is a leader in experiential, technology-infused ization and entrepreneurship — an approach exemplified Set it free at Drexel University. laboratory space, including education, enriched by the nation’s premier cooperative- by the ExCITe Center, the interdisciplinary A.J. Drexel Our unique academic design and cooperative work and design spaces for education program. The University’s recognized excel- Institutes, Drexel Ventures, the Innovation Center @ 3401 student innovation. lence in translational research is supported by the Coulter Market Street, the Close School of Entrepreneurship and education program turn students into Foundation through the Coulter-Drexel Translational Re- the Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship. search Partnership Program and by $108 million in spon- Drexel operates out of its 123-acre University City professionals with real experience at the sored research awards last year. Campus in West Philadelphia and at four additional world’s leading corporate, research and cultural Drexel enrolls students in on-campus and online programs locations: the Center City Campus for the College of Nurs- leading to associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and ing and Health Professions and the Academy of Natural institutions. Ordinary students take tests. professional degrees (including MDs and JDs) in 17 colleges Sciences; the Queen Lane Campus in East Falls for the At Drexel, you will test the world. and schools. Drexel also has some of the richest specimen and College of Medicine; and through its online platform, artifact collections in the world through the Academy of Drexel Online. drexel.edu/AmbitionCantWait _ONLINE Learn more about Drexel University at drexel.edu. 84