Approval of Minutes from 02/22/01 meeting: Approved as submitted

Presentation by Richard Lieber, Professor of Orthopaedics:
Dr. Lieber presented his findings regarding sarcomere length (SL) changes that occur during normal movement. SL depends both on muscle fiber length and moment arm. Since surgical transfer may alter this relationship, muscle strength may be compromised post-surgically due to altered SL operating range. The purpose of one of these studies was to measure SL in humans before and after surgical tendon transfer. Patients included in the study (n=5) were undergoing surgical tendon transfer of the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) to extensor digitorum communis (EDC) muscle for radial nerve palsy. After anesthesia induction, a helium-neon laser beam was inserted into the muscle and FCU SL was measured. The FCU was then transferred to the EDC complex and FCU SL again measured. FCU SLs were measured over a 100° range of wrist motion. P reoperatively, with the wrist in full extension, SL was 4.22±.24 µm and decreased to 3.19±.05 as the wrist was fully flexed. After tendon transfer, FCU SL was minimized in full wrist extension, measuring 3.50±.06 µm and increased to 4.96±.43 µm in full flexion. Sarcomeres were 1.05±.34 µm longer (p<0.001) with the muscle in its fully lengthened position and 0.60±.14µm longer with the FCU fully shortened. Such a change is predicted to decrease muscle force by about 40% simply due to altered myofilament overlap. This result cautions against the use of a short-fibered muscle such as the FCU to perform the function of a muscle with much longer fibers such as the EDC.

Graduate Student Symposium:
Mark Konno from Edwards Lifesciences spoke on the Graduate Student Symposium. The Symposium took place in the UCSD Robinson Auditorium on March 10, 2001. The Symposium provides an opportunity for new students and interested members of the academic and industrial communities to learn more about the current research projects in the Department of Bioengineering at the UCSD. Talks were presented which overviewed both current laboratory research and individual student thesis projects. A poster followed which attendees explored projects in detail and interacted with both students and faculty. The Symposium provided a friendly environment for this interaction. Suggestions for future meetings: more space should be allocated for the poster section of the event.

The Industrial Internship Program:
Imani Tyus presented the Summer Internship Program. Four students have been placed in the Graduate Training Program. On May 16th there will be an annual gathering from 3:00p-4:30p in the Price Center, Santa Barbara/Los Angeles Room. The meeting will serve as an excellent opportunity for industry to meet with students and give updates and concerns at that time. Interns will also get a chance to find out what they can expect during their internships.

MRU - The Bioengineering Institute of California:
Dr. Shu Chien reported on the status of the MRU proposal. The proposal was submitted jointly by UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UCSF and UCSD to establish the UC System-wide Multicampus Research Unit. The MRU will facilitate cross-fertilization across relevant disciplines in research and training among campuses in the interdisciplinary field of bioengineering. Each UC campus has its own unique strengths, which are mutually complementary. The MRU will leverage the expertise to form a cohesive, interactive consortium that has outstanding capability unprecedented and unparalleled anywhere. The proposal was submitted on May 3, 2001 to the Vice Chancellor at UCSD to be reviewed and we hope to hear back within the year. The MRU will be headquartered at UCSD with Dr. Chien serving as the Director. If the proposal is approved, an IAB will be established at each campus. This could pose a problem with UC Davis concerning Intellectual Property. Dr. Chien will look into this issue.

WIBE Five Year Review:
Dr. Chien gave a brief progress report on the committee that conducted the five-year review of the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering. The committee asked that the WIBE make the report and available to the members of WIBE and solicit their comments by June 15. Dr. Chien has sent the report to the members and awaits comments. The committee's comments were very favorable and have recommended continuation for another five years with Dr. Chien serving as director.

Announcements
Chair, John Penhune introduced the newest member of the IAB, Dr. William Butler of Genoptix. Genoptix biophotonics technology represents the state of the art in optical cell processing.

UC System-wide BME Symposium:
The second UC System-wide Bioengineering Symposium will be held Sunday-Monday, May 6-7, 2001 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Corwin Pavilion, University Center. The Symposium will familiarize different UC research groups with current research at other campuses. The symposium facilitates collaboration between different research groups working on related topics.

Graduate Assessment Survey:
Dr. Rober Sah, from the Department of Bioengineering handed out a Graduate Assessment Survey. The purpose of the survey is to help determine the effectiveness of our undergraduate education programs in Bioengineering and other engineering majors. Meeting adjourned at 9:10 a.m.

The next Industrial Advisory Board Meeting will be held in the Fall Quarter. A survey was handed out to the Board members to select the most suitable date.

Respectfully submitted: Jennifer Griffin