Faculty and Postdoc Accolades

NIH Funds Zhongping Chen's Proposed Cardiac Imaging System

Zhongping ChenThe NIH's National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has awarded UC Irvine biomedical engineer Zhongping Chen a $2.6-million four-year grant to build a better imaging system for looking inside the arteries.

Working with Qifa Zhou of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and Pranov Patel of the UCI School of Medicine, Chen proposes to capture the benefits of three sophisticated imaging technologies -- the high resolution of optical coherence tomography, deep tissue penetration of ultrasound imaging and the biomechanical contrast of optical coherence elastography (a technique that maps the elastic properties of soft tissue) - and combine them into a single catheter device. Chen has already combined the first two; this funding will support his efforts to incorporate the third feature into a single imaging probe.The proposed system will provide a cross-sectional visualization of the inside of a patient's arteries, allowing the clinician to detect the hard-to-see vulnerable plaque that builds up and can suddenly rupture or trigger blood clots.

Allergan Supports Microscopy Technology Developments

Allergan has awarded Michelle Digman, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, a grant for her project titled "Tracking Particle Dynamics at Neuromuscular Junctions in Vivo." She will receive $787,000 over three years. Michelle Digman

Digman's research employs optical microscopy tools to track molecules and microscopic particles in living cells and tissues. Her interests include cell migration, cancer metastasis and development of microscopy technologies that allow the observation of molecular events in living organisms. She is the co-PI of the Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, an NIH Biotechnology Resource for the development of fluorescence microscopy, as well as a member of the Center for Complex Biological Systems and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Michelle KhineMichelle Khine Named in Top 30 by Diverse

Michelle Khine was named one of the Top 30 Women in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Khine, recognized for her perseverance and tenacity, has had a broad impact on the academy and beyond.

Beth Lopour Hopes to Standardize Epilepsy Diagnosis in Infants

Beth LopourBeth Lopour received a $25,000 pilot grant through a collaborative program. The CHOC-UCI Child Health Research Awards are designed to promote translational research efforts that coalesce talented clinicians and researchers from CHOC and UC Irvine. Lopour is studying a type of epilepsy in children under 2 years old. She is working to standardize the way clinicians read patients' EEGs, which would help them more quickly diagnose and treat the condition. If not treated properly and efficiently, infantile spasms can lead to severe developmental delay.

Ahmad FalahatpishehAHA Awards Postdoc a Prestigious Scholarship

The American Heart Association has awarded UC Irvine postdoctoral scholar Ahmad Falahatpisheh with a two-year ($82,000) scholarship. Falahatpisheh, an expert in computational modeling of the heart, works with Dr. Arash Kheradvar, associate professor of biomedical engineering, in the Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology. Falahatpisheh's research involves using advanced post-processing methods related to magnetic resonance imaging to study the hearts of patients born with a complex congenital heart defect.

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