As we enter the new Millennium, we look forward to an exciting year for the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Bioengineering and the Jacobs School of Engineering. We have many notable events planned for the year 2000.

On February 25, The Jacobs School of Engineering will hold its annual Research Review at the UCSD Price Center. This year, Brian Kenner, CTO and co-founder of INTERVU, Inc., and Lawrence B. Prior III, President and CEO of High Technology Solutions, Inc. will be the keynote speakers (p.3).

The 14^th Annual Bioengineering Graduate Research Symposium is planned for March 4 (p.3). The Symposium allows the graduate students to present their continuing research to the local bioengineering community. This year's Graduate Research Symposium will certainly be an interesting event for UCSD researchers, biotechnology industry representatives and graduate students.

As a result of the Meeting of UC Bioengineering program representatives hosted by WIBE on August 12, 19999 (see Newsletter Vol. 6 No. 2, October 1999), the first ever University of California system-wide Biomedical Engineering Research Symposium will be held at UC Davis on April 30 and May 1. Interested students and faculty are encouraged to participate in this symposium. The abstract deadline is March 15, 2000. Please see page 7 for details.

The planning for the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Building is moving forward very well. The architects from Anshen and Allen and the Laboratory consultants from Research Facilities Development have worked closely with the Bioengineering faculty in the Schematic Design and Design Development of the Building. Various committees also interact with the University and the architects. The Schematic Design Phase of the Building has been completed and currently we are in the Design Development Phase. Careful consideration is given to the design of the Building to optimize the relationships between research and core laboratories, and the locations of teaching laboratories, technology transfer and clinical development center, administrative offices, the auditorium and conference rooms.

An integral part of the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Building will be the Y.C. Fung Auditorium, which is named in recognition of Dr. Yuan-Cheng Fung, Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering, for his extraordinary achievements in the field of Bioengineering. Please see page 4 for more information on the Y.C. Fung Auditorium.

With warmest wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Successful New Year,

-Shu Chien, Director, WIBE

The founders of San Diego-based INNERCOOL therapies, Inc. have their roots in UCSD. Juan Lasheras, Ph.D. is the Chairman of the UCSD Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program and John Dobak, M.D. is a graduate of the UCSD School of Medicine. The two joined forces in early 1998 to develop INNERCOOLís heat transfer catheter for the management of hypothermia. The Company has raised over $13 MM from the prestigious venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins, Institutional Venture Partners, and Technology Partners.

INNERCOOL is becoming the world leader in hypothermia management with an annual U.S market potential estimated at 1.5 billion dollars. The Company is developing, manufacturing, and marketing vascular catheters that rapidly and safely induce and reverse hypothermia (i.e. cool or re-warm). A growing base of animal and clinical research shows that induction of mild hypothermia during periods of ischemia, such as occurs during stroke or heart attack, can protect tissue from ischemic damage in a way analogous to icing a sprained ankle. Conversely, hypothermia that develops incidentally during surgery can be detrimental by causing increased infection rates, more blood loss, and higher mortality. INNERCOOL has a proprietary, platform technology that can be employed in a variety of clinical situations where cooling or re-warming is indicated. The technology has significant advantages over surface heat transfer methods, such as cooling/warming blankets, which are cumbersome to administer, difficult to control, and have limited efficacy.

INNERCOOLís platform technology (Celsius Control^TM) can be used to both induce and reverse hypothermia. The technology is a vascular catheter system that exchanges heat directly with the blood flowing in the vessels of the body. This results in cooling or re-warming of the downstream organs and body. Importantly, INNERCOOLís technology does not require fluids to be perfused into the body, nor does it require blood to be circulated outside of the body. The cornerstone of the technology is a novel heat exchanger that resides at the tip of the catheter. Dr. Dobak and Dr. Lasheras collaborated on a design that incorporates unique elements to make the metallic part highly flexible and to enhance the heat transfer.

INNERCOOL has catheters that can be delivered to both the arterial and venous system and is the only company capable of addressing both modes of delivery. Venous catheters are used to induce rapid core body hypothermia and to reverse hypothermia. Arterial catheters are designed to provide isolated, or selective, cooling/re-warming of organs, such as the brain.

INNERCOOL has completed animal testing of the device and will commence human clinical trials for neurosurgical applications in the first half of this year. Ultimately the Company plans to develop the technology as a therapy for stroke and heart attack. For more information visit the Company website at www.innercool.com or call us at 858 677-6390.

Kim Gyung from the Catholic University of Taegu-Hyosung, Clinical Pathology Department is working with Dr. Robert Sah in the Department of Bioengineering.

Bioengineering Graduate Research Symposium:The 14th annual Bioengineering Graduate Research Symposium will be held on March 4, 2000, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm in the Hojel Hall of the Americas Auditorium at UCSD. 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 UCSD. Talks will be presented which overview both current laboratory research and individual student thesis projects. Following the morning's talks, a poster session will follow, which will allow attendees to explore projects in detail and interact with both students and faculty. For more information or to register, please contact Elizabeth Hickman at (858) 822-2290 or by email at: mehickman@ucsd.edu.

JSOE Research Review: The Jacobs School of Engineering's annual Research Review will be held on February 25 at UC San Diego's Price Center. This year's keynote speakers are Brian Kenner, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of INTERVU, Inc., and Lawrence B. Prior III, President and CEO of High Technology Solutions, Inc. They will discuss the ways in which the Internet has evolved as a socioeconomic phenomenon and revolutionized the way business is conducted. The event also includes break-out sessions on technical topics led by Jacobs School faculty, more than 140 graduate student research posters, industry technical exhibits, laboratory tours, and a reception at which best poster awards will be presented. Research Review 2000 is $25 per person. For more information or to register, please go to: http://www.soe.ucsd.edu/events/rr2k_reg.html or contact Kelly Briggs at (858) 534-2329.

Bioengineering Winter Undergraduate Informational and Advising Meeting: The Department of Bioengineering will host an informational and advising meeting Friday, January 28, 2000, at 1:00 pm in Engineering Building Unit 1, room 2103. Representatives from the Department, UCSD Scholarship Office, Academic Enrichment Program and Career Services will focus on Internship, Scholarship, and Research opportunities for undergraduate Bioengineers. For more information, please contact the Bioengineering Undergraduate Advising Office at (858) 534-7534.

Ajit Varki, Professor of Medicine, is the Executive Editor of the recently published "Essentials of Glycobiology," the first textbook in the emerging field of Glycobiology. Four of the six Editors of the book are UCSD faculty, and several contributing authors are also from UCSD. The back cover includes complimentary comments of five Nobel Laureates. Further details can be found at: http://www.cshl.org/books/glycobio.htm.

UC Systemwide Biomedical Engineering Research  Symposium:  UCDavis will host the first annual University of California wide biomedical engineering research conference on April 30 and May 1. Abstracts are solicited from students and faculty in the following areas; Imaging, Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics, Biofluids and Transport, Bioinformatics, Cell Mechanics, and Tissue Engineering. The deadline for receipt of two-page abstracts is March 15, 2000. For further information contact: Cassandra Fong at the Division of Biomedical Engineering, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. (530)752-2611; www.bme.ucdavis.edu  www.bme.ucdavis.eduhttp://www.cevs.ucdavis.edu/ces_pages/Conf.cfm?EventID=27.

Drs.Troy Bremer, Reza Mazhari, Todd McAllister, and Sonya Summerour, of the Department of Bioengineering successfully defended their Ph.D. theses during the fall quarter. Dr. Bremer is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Bioengineering, UCSD; Dr. Mazhari received a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Biomdical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Summerour received a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgia Institute of Technology and Dr. McAllister plans to open his own business. Congratulations and Best Wishes to each of you!

Yuan-Cheng Fung's, Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering, outstanding contributions to research and education in bioengineering are unparalleled. He is known fondly as the father of biomechanics and his work has led to fundamental new knowledge about the function of the lungs, heart, blood vessels, muscle and skin. His authoritative books on biomechanis and related fields are the gold standards for textbooks in the field. His discoveries have served as the cornerstone of the research activities in bioengineering departments in this country and abroad. An exceptional educator, Dr. Fung has advised hundreds of graduate students in his career. His students, now working in universities and corporations throughout the world, have made important contributions by applying the principles he taught.

Dr. Fung is an extraordinary leader. He established the bioengineering program at UCSD, has contributed to bioengineering programs worldwide, and continues to provide advice and guidance to the field. Prior to joining UC San Diego, Dr. Fung made many important advances in the Department of Aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology, where he received his Ph.D. in 1948. Dr. Fung has received every leading award and honor in the field of bioengineering, biomechanics, and microcirculation. He is one of the few members of all three U.S. National Academy branches: the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine. Dr. Fung remains an active leader and visionary of the field.

An integral part of the Powell-Focht Bioengineering Building will be the Y.C. Fung Auditorium, which is named in recognition of Dr. Fung, for his extraordinary achievements in the field of Bioengineering. The Auditorium will be located on the first floor, where students learn advances in bioengineering, scientists exchange their latest research results, and the university and industry partners explore new avenues to diagnose, treat and prevent disease. The auditorium will seat 150 people and will be equipped with the latest audio-visual capabilities to support distance learning, multimedia and Internet-based instruction. Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Huang of San Diego have generously agreed to donate $150,000 to support construction of the Auditorium in honor of Dr. Fung. The University is now seeking $150,000 in matching gifts to complete the construction costs. We invite you to join us in paying tribute to Dr. Fung, a man who has inspired and lead the entire bioengineering field.

Fore more information, please contact Joe Bear, Executive Director of External Relations at (858) 534-2776 or jbear@ucsd.edu. We thank many of you who have already generously contributed to this most marvelous cause!

Dr. Gary A. Huber joined the UCSD Department of Bioengineering in the summer of 1999. He received his B.S. from North Carolina State University and his Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison, both in Chemical Engineering. His advisors in graduate school were Drs. Sangtae Kim and Warren Stewart. Following graduate school, he came to UCSD as a post-doctoral researcher in the Chemistry Department under the direction of Dr. Andrew McCammon.

Dr. Huber's research interest is the development of computer models of large molecules and components of cells. Currently, the main effort is in algorithm and software development. One algorithm that has been developed is the Weighted-Ensemble Dynamics method. This method helps overcome an important difficulty in simulations of large molecules, namely, that important events happen very infrequently. For example, in simulating a protein-protein interaction, the vast majority of computer time is spent waiting for the two molecules to collide in a favorable orientation. The Weighted-Ensemble method uses multiple copies of the system of interest, along with statistical weighting, to avoid this problem and obtain rates of change using a small fraction of the computer time required by conventional methods.

Another difficulty of simulating large molecules is the size of the system. This has two consequences. First, the number of atoms can be very large (hundreds of thousands), and it takes a lot of computer time to update so many variables in a simulation. Secondly, the important motions of large molecules take place on a long time scale, which is several orders of magnitude greater than the time scale of the atoms' motions. Unfortunately, the size of the time step that can be used in a simulation is limited by the smallest time scale of the problem. For example, it presently takes several weeks of time on the largest computers in the San Diego Supercomputer Center to simulate a nanosecond of time in a large enzyme molecule, while important fluctuations in biological molecules can take place over a time scale of seconds. To overcome this problem, Dr. Huber is currently devising a method to run many small simulations on small portions of the molecule and piece together the information thus obtained to find the large-scale slow motions of the molecule.

The implementation of these algorithms on state-of-the-art hardware for interesting biological systems requires very complex software. Furthermore, it is desirable to combine these algorithms with those from other research groups in the same simulation. In order to handle the complexity, Dr. Huber's research group is using modern software engineering techniques, such as object-oriented and generic programming. Many of the software packages currently in use are large, "black-box" Fortran codes that are very difficult to change, enhance, combine with other programs, or port to the latest parallel computer. Because good modeling ideas come from many different research groups, it is very important to have the ability to quickly create and combine software components in order for the scientific community to realize the full benefit of new algorithms and hardware. Work is ongoing to expand OOMPAA (Object-Oriented Model for Probing Assemblages of Atoms), a collection of data structures and algorithms for molecular simulations, written in C++.

Molecules and assemblages of molecules that Dr. Huber's group plans to study in the next few years include cytoskeletal and muscle proteins such as actin and myosin, and cell membrane proteins such as ion channels. The overall goal is to understand the molecular-level motions, to suggest further experimental work, and perhaps to help design new drugs to interact with these molecules.

Dirk-Uwe Bartsch, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, was elected inaugural Secretary General of the International Society of Scanning Laser Imaging in the Eye. The new organization is charged with coordinating the communication in the growing field of ophthalmic imaging.

Rick Lieber, Professor of Orthopaedics and Bioengineering, and Jan Friden, Göteborg University, Sweden, were awarded the 1999 International Society for Surgery of the Hand "Outstanding Scientific Presentation" award at the Society's meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

Marcos Intaglietta, Professor of Bioengineering, has been appointed as an Honorary Member of the Venezuelan Association of Phlebology and Lymphology.

Ajit Varki, Professor of Medicine, was recently named the founding Director of the new Glycolbiology Research and Training Center (GRTC) at UCSD. Current GRTC membership involves more than 50 interested scientists throughout the La Jolla scientific community and includes several members of the WIBE.

Gaurav Abbi, Gerhardt König, Jason Nathanson and, Bhavin Patel, undergraduate students in Bioengineering, were selected for a NASA KC=135 Student Flight Program Research Project. The KC-135 Student Flight Program provides a unique research experience for undergraduate students to design, build, and test reducedógravity experiments. Teams that were selected are given three months to build their experiment, whereafter they are given the opportunity to run their experiment aboard NASAís KC-135A reducedógravity aircraft. Abbi, König, Nathanson and Patel, a.k.a. team Oreo, have teamed up with faculty-mentor Dr. John Frangos, Professor of Bioengineering, to design an experiment that involves modeling fluid shifts that occur when the body enters a reduced-gravity environment. If validated, such a model will prove beneficial for the development of effective countermeasures for this fluid shift, which likely mediates the bone loss and cardiovascular problems associated with spaceflight. Learn more about their experiment at: http://bmes.ucsd.edu/kc135y2k.

Mihrimah Ozkan, graduate student in ECE, won the Graduate Student Silver Award for his talk, "A New Electrochemical System for Pick and Place of Devices and Biological Cells on Silicon Substrate" at the Fall 1999 Materials Research Society (MRS) Conference in Boston, MA.

For information or submissions, please contact Elizabeth Hickman at (858) 822-2290.

Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering

9500 Gilman Drive

La Jolla, CA 92093-0427

(858) 822-2290