biotechnology

Biomedical Discussion Group: Dr. Diego L. Guarin, Postdoctoral Researcher Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and University of Toronto

Charlotte Armstrong — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 19:51:08 +0000

Biomedical Discussion Group: Dr. Diego L. Guarin, Postdoctoral Researcher Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and University of Toronto Charlotte Armstrong Thu, 07/11/2019 - 15:51

Dr. Diego L. Guarin

Postdoctoral Researcher Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and University of Toronto
Fellow of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

Title: Deep Learning for Objective Assessment and Diagnosis of Neuromuscular Diseases

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Abstract:

Many neuromuscular diseases, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Bell’s palsy, affect the orofacial musculature, inducing devastating functional, communication, and aesthetical impairments. Afflicted patients may have difficulty blinking, manipulating food and liquids in the mouth, and expressing themselves verbally and nonverbally. A timely and objective assessment of the orofacial impairment can contribute to the overall disease diagnosis, lead to early interventions, and provide objective means to quantify the effect of therapeutic, pharmaceutical, or surgical interventions. Currently, orofacial assessment relies on clinical evaluations performed by experts, or on the use of reflective markers and motion capture sensors. However, these approaches are expensive, time-consuming, and their reliability depends on the expertise of a trained practitioner. Computer vision and machine learning have the potential of transforming the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the orofacial musculature. These techniques have provided new approaches to evaluate orofacial function that are objective, automatic, easy to use, inexpensive, and mobile. In this talk, I will discuss how machine learning is disrupting the assessment and diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, the challenges that must be overcome before successfully translating this research into clinical practice, and what are some interesting future directions.

Bio:

Diego L. Guarin completed his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering at McGill University, then moved to Harvard Medical School for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and he is currently a fellow of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research working at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and Toronto University.

Dr. Guarin’s research focuses on the development and application of engineering, data science, and neuroscience approaches to improve our understanding of the human neuromuscular system, to improve the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, and to support the development of new rehabilitation options. During his graduate studies, Dr. Guarin developed new experimental and analytical techniques to quantify the neuromuscular properties of human joints. These techniques are used to quantify the joint rigidity of spastic patients and identify the mechanisms responsible for the abnormal joint stiffness, facilitating the diagnosis and treatment selection. Dr. Guarin’s postdoctoral research has focused on the fundamental problem of objectively measuring human movement, and on translating these measurements into objective and clinically useful metrics that can help in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of neuromuscular diseases. In particular, Dr. Guarin is working on novel non-contact technologies that utilize commercial grade cameras and machine learning algorithms to measure orofacial movements and improving the diagnosis of patients suffering from neuromuscular diseases such as stroke, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and Bell’s palsy.

More information about publications and current projects can be found on GoogleScholar and ResearchGate websites.

Keywords: applied physiology, fatique, clinical depression, anxiety, gait, postural control, clinical mood presentations

Coffee and Timbits available - RSVP Required- Registration Link

Biomedical Discussion Group: Dr. Ali Boolani Clarkson University, New York, USA

Charlotte Armstrong — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 20:11:34 +0000

Biomedical Discussion Group: Dr. Ali Boolani Clarkson University, New York, USA Charlotte Armstrong Tue, 06/25/2019 - 16:11

Dr. Ali Boolani, Associate Professor, Clarkson University

Title: Feelings of energy and fatigue influence different aspects of gait and postural control

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Abstract:

Until recently, energy and fatigue were viewed on a bipolar continuum, however, the work by Boolani and colleagues (2018, 2018, 2019) distinguishes the two moods as two distinct yet overlapping moods. Boolani and colleagues (2018) are further able to distinguish between stable persisting mood traits and transient feelings of mental and physical energy and fatigue as eight separate constructs. Studies with clinical depression and anxiety have noted that patients with these mood disorders have distinct gait patterns compared to those who do not qualify for a diagnosis. While the influences of clinical mood presentations on gait and posture have been extensively studied, sub-clinical/non-clinical mood states and their influences on gait and postural control are less well understood. Further, the studies that have focused on energy and fatigue and their role on gait and postural control have examined the two moods on a bipolar continuum rather than as two distinct unipolar moods. Additionally, the current work on energy and fatigue has primarily focused on fatiguing a certain muscle or muscle groups and then examining its influence on gait and postural control rather than examining the influence of subjective perceptions of energy and fatigue on gait and postural control. Our studies work on distinguishing the influence of perceptions of mental and physical energy and fatigue states and their influence on gait and postural control. Our research suggests that when examining the influences of these mood states on gait and postural control one must examine these moods separately.

Bio:

Dr. Ali Boolani is an associate professor at Clarkson University. He received his PhD in Applied Physiology at Oklahoma State University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Georgia in Exercise Psychology. Ali’s work focuses on objective and subjective measurements of energy and fatigue, the influence of energy and fatigue on human movement, and interventions to improve feelings of energy and fatigue. His most recently published work showed that energy and fatigue are physiologically two distinct moods with current work displaying that energy and fatigue distinctly influence human movement.
His research interests include applied physiology of the human motor system, signal processing of intramuscular and surface electromyography and modeling of spinal neural networks.

Keywords: applied physiology, fatique, clinical depression, anxiety, gait, postural control, clinical mood presentations

Coffee and Timbits available - RSVP Required- Registration Link

Biomedical Discussion Group

Krystina Bednarowski — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:25:52 +0000

Biomedical Discussion Group Krystina Bednarowski Mon, 12/11/2017 - 15:25

Biomedical Discussion Group

Faculty, postdocs, and visiting researchers are welcome to present at the Biomedical Discussion Group on a variety of topics within biomedicine or technologies that could be applied within the biomedical field. Past lectures can be found in our Library and YouTube channel.

Lectures are held once a month, and registration is required for each event. The location and presentation times may vary - see the below chart for information.

To receive event notices, please sign up via MailChimp. If you are interested in participating or would like to nominate someone, please email CBB with your ideas.

Benefits:

Learn about new and exciting research developments
Network across other faculties, departments and schools
Collaborate on potential grants/funding opportunities
Indulge in coffee and cookies while getting inspired!

CBB can help with:

Event advertising
Logistical set-up
Video recording for CBB’s YouTube library or personal use
Some financial support to bring in an external guest to present
Planning, co-hosting or cost sharing with your home department

If you are interested in participating or would like to nominate someone, please email CBB with your ideas.

Wednesday January 17 2:30-3:30 pm Engineering 5, Room 6006 (E5-6006)	"Microscale tissue-on-chip technologies: watching biology in high-definition" Dr. Christopher Moraes, Canada Research Chair in Advanced Cellular Microenvironments; Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Associate member, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering; Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University [POSTER] Keywords: tissue, cellular microenvironment, microengineering technology, therapeutics, imaging, mechaniobiology, drug discovery, next generation screening platforms, biomaterials
Thursday January 18 3:00-4:00 pm East Campus 4, Boardroom (EC4-2101a)	"Non-invasive fall detection using 3D Deep Convolutional Autoencoder" Dr. Sheroz Khan, Post-doctoral researcher at the Intelligent Assistive Technology and Systems Lab, University of Toronto [POSTER] Keywords: fall detection, non-invasive, machine learning, autoencoders, thermal cameras, depth cameras, aging, health informatics, assistive technologies
Friday February 9 1:00-2:30 pm East Campus 4, Boardroom (EC4-2101a)	"Spontaneous brain activity and stimuli interaction ̶Non-additive rest-stimulus interaction and mental functions" Dr. Georg Northoff, MD, PhD, FRCPC Canada Research Chair in Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics ELJB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neurosci and Mental Health Research Unit Director The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa [POSTER] Keywords: neuroethics, neuroscience, neuro-philosophy, brain computer interface, rest-stimulus interaction, imaging, consciousness, therapeutic tools for depression and schizophrenia
Thursday February 15 3:00-4:00 pm East Campus 4, Boardroom (EC4-2101a)	"Ballistocardiography - An Old Methodology in the New IoT Health Monitoring Space" Dr. Abdul Qadir Javaid, Post-doctoral scholar in Intelligent Systems and Assistive Technology laboratory at University of Toronto and AGE-WELL [POSTER] Keywords: Ballistocardiography, cardiology, zero-effort monitoring, internet of things, smart textile sensors, machine learning, biosignals
Friday March 2 1:00-2:00 pm East Campus 4, Boardroom (EC4-2101a)	"Microtechnologies for modelling and monitoring biomechanical cell and tissue systems" Dr. Craig Simmons, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Mechanobiology [POSTER] Keywords: Biomedical engineering, Applied mechanics and design, cellular mechanobiology, cell, tissue and biomaterial micromechanics; design and application of microdevices that mimic complex physiological environments
Tuesday March 6 11:00-12:00 pm East Campus 4, Boardroom (EC4-2101a)	"High-speed observation system designed for elucidating mechanisms of sonoporation" Dr. Nobuki Kudo, Executive Trustee at the Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Hokkaido University [POSTER] Keywords: Sonoporation, biomedical ultrasound, biomedical optics, medical systems, phase contrast, fluorescence techniques, phase contrast microscopy, cell membranes, bubble dynamics, cell adhesion
May	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
June	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
July	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
August	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
September	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
October	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
November	TBC - contact us if you have ideas
December	TBC - contact us if you have ideas

Biomedical Discussion Group

Krystina Bednarowski — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 17:17:39 +0000

Biomedical Discussion Group Krystina Bednarowski Fri, 12/23/2016 - 12:17

Biomedical Discussion Group

The Biomedical Discussion Group presents on a variety of topics within biomedicine or technologies that could be applied within the biomedical field.

Lectures are held the third Thursday of every month and are open to all faculty, postdocs, students, staff, and visiting researchers. Presentation times may vary. Registration is required for each event.

Past lectures can be found in our Library and YouTube channel. Sign up to receive event notices via MailChimp.

Benefits:

Learn about new and exciting research developments
Network across other faculties and departments
Collaborate on potential grants/funding opportunities
Indulge in coffee and cookies while getting inspired!

CBB can help with:

Event advertising
Logistical set-up
Video recording for CBB’s YouTube library or personal use
Some financial support to bring in an external guest to present
Planning, co-hosting or cost sharing with your home department

If you are interested in participating or would like to nominate someone, please email CBB with your ideas.

March 16, 2017	"Technology and Older Adults: Assisting Activities in the Home. Overview of intelligent systems to support aging-in-place" Emilie M. D. Jean-Baptiste, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Occupational Therapy / University of Toronto, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute [Poster] [Registration]
August 9, 2017	"Application of Human Factors to Quality Improvement and Patient Safety" Dr. Patricia Trbovich, Academic Research Lead, UHN and Assistant Professor, U of T at University Health Network and University of Toronto [Poster] [Registration]
September 29, 2017	"Endocrine regulation of phosphate homeostasis" Dr. Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, Department of Oral Health Policy & Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Pathology, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, USA. [Poster] [Registration] 1:00-2:00 - East Campus 4, Boardroom (EC4-2101a)
November 16, 2017	"In situ gelling and printable hydrogels for tissue engineering and diagnostics" Dr. Todd Hoare Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University [Poster ] [Registration] 1:00-2:00 - Science Teaching Complex, 1019 (STC-1019)

Biomedical Discussion Group

Krystina Bednarowski — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 15:49:02 +0000

Biomedical Discussion Group Krystina Bednarowski Thu, 08/04/2016 - 11:49

Biomedical Discussion Group

The Biomedical Discussion Group presents on a variety of topics within biomedicine or technologies that could be applied within the biomedical field.

Past lectures can be found in our Library and YouTube channel. Sign up to receive event notices via MailChimp.

Benefits:

Learn about new and exciting research developments
Network across other faculties and departments
Collaborate on potential grants/funding opportunities
Indulge in coffee and cookies while getting inspired!

CBB can help with:

Event advertising
Logistical set-up
Video recording for CBB’s YouTube library or personal use
Some financial support to bring in an external guest to present
Planning, co-hosting or cost sharing with your home department

If you are interested in participating or would like to nominate someone, please email CBB with your ideas. [Fall 2016 - Call for Speakers]

August 18, 2016 - Note time change 3:30-4:30
"Image-based models of solid tumors behavior in diagnosis, treatment, and prediction"
Dr. Madjid Soltani, Post Doctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University and Director, Computational Medicine Institute (CMI) at KNT University of Technology and Ministry of Health, Iran. [Poster] [Registration]

Keywords: imaging, tumor image diagnostics, tumor treatment and progression, predictive modeling, therapy planning, mathematical modeling of tumor growth, transport phenomena to biological and physiological systems, drug delivery to solid tumors

September 15, 2016 - No event

October 20, 2016 - No event

November 17, 2016 - "Amyloid as a Biomarker of Alzheimer's Disease in the Retina"
Dr. Melanie Campbell, PhD, Professor Physics and Astronomy, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. [Poster] [Registration]

Keywords: imaging, biomarker, Alzheimer's disease, amyloid deposits, retinas, non-invasive imaging, optical coherence tomography

December 15, 2016 - No event