Graduate Education

Parag Chitnis, Ph.D.

Teresa Finn — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 21:28:33 +0000

Parag Chitnis, Ph.D. Teresa Finn Sun, 04/11/2021 - 17:28

Associate Professor, Bioengineering
Faculty Fellow for Graduate Education, Office of the Provost

Contact Information

Phone: (703) 993-5039
Email: pchitnis@gmu.edu

Biography

Research Focus

The overarching focus of my research is the investigation of brain-body interactions using light and ultrasound. I am one of the Principal Investigators in the Biomedical Imaging Laboratory (BMIL). I lead a multidisciplinary team of scientists and students that conducts basic science and preclinical research to study neuronal function and neurodegenerative diseases using cell cultures, excised brain slices, and small-animal models. Our group uses state-of-the-art ultrasound and laser instruments to develop new techniques for (1) noninvasively imaging or modifying brain activity in rodents, (2) fine-resolution microscopy of vascular function, and (3) ultrasound-based wireless actuation and control of implantable devices for localized chemotherapy.

Current Projects

We are developing novel techniques that will enable noninvasive mapping of voltage, calcium, and hemodynamic activity in mammalian models for studying neurological function and neurodegenerative diseases using nanoprobes and photoacoustic imaging.
We are using a machine-learning framework to combine convolution neural networks with photoacoustic tomography for reducing the instrumentation complexity, reducing reconstruction artifacts reconstruction, and enhancing imaging depth and resolution.
We are working to elucidate metabolic stresses resulting from the use of focused ultrasound administered to the brain for the purpose of noninvasive therapy or neuromodulation.
We are using focused ultrasound to noninvasively actuate and control implantable devices fabricated using thermally sensitive hydrogels for localized drug delivery, enabling personalized treatment of tumors without extreme side effects associated with systemic chemotherapy.
We are developing a methodology for imaging retinal microvasculature to assess ophthalmic health and ocular diseases. The approach also can be employed for imaging cell cultures and thick biological samples to achieve label-free and section-less histology.

Select Publications

D. George et al., A frequency‐ domain non‐contact photoacoustic microscope based on an adaptive interferometer. Journal of Biophotonics 11, e201700278 (2018).

O. Ordeig et al., An implantable compound-releasing capsule triggered on demand by ultrasound. Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 22803 (2016).

S. Koppolu et al., Correlation of rupture dynamics to the nonlinear backscatter response from polymer-shelled ultrasound contrast agents. IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control 62(3), (2015).

P. V. Chitnis et al., Coherence-weighted synthetic focusing applied to photoacoustic imaging using a high-frequency annular-array transducer. Ultrasonic Imaging 38(1), 32-43 (2015).

Doctoral student combines love of lab research with practical applications

Colleen Rich — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:48:56 +0000

Doctoral student combines love of lab research with practical applications Colleen Rich Mon, 03/29/2021 - 13:48

Mason doctoral student Marissa Howard has worked at the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) since 2016. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

When Marissa Howard first came to George Mason University as an Honors College student and a scholar in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program, she was a biology major.

As she began looking for hands-on research experiences, her LSAMP mentor, Volgenau School of Engineering professor Alok Berry, suggested she give bioengineering a try.

“It really clicked for me,” said the Richmond, Virginia, native, and she ended up switching her major to bioengineering.

In her junior year, Howard participated in Mason’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP). That’s when she met Mason researchers Lance Liotta and Alessandra Luchini. She spent the summer studying the electrical properties of their Nanotrap technology.

“I really loved it,” she said. “I really loved them, and they were excited by the work I was doing and asked me to continue working with them. Since 2016, I've been in [the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM)] lab.”

Biosciences PhD student Marissa Howard tests vaccine efficacy in healthy and immunocomprised patients by running a rapid COVID-19 antibody test. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

For her senior capstone project in 2016-17, Howard led a team of bioengineering students—Sara Sharif, Sameen Yusuf, and Rohit Madhu—to create a noninvasive urine-based tuberculosis (TB) test called TB Assured, and the invention garnered a lot of attention for the team and many awards.

In addition to winning several Mason awards for being the best project of the year, the team also won the $15,000 prize from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering’s Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge to help develop the test further.

TB Assured started as a dipstick test, much like pregnancy tests, that would find biomarkers of TB in urine. In an effort to make the test more sensitive and user friendly, Howard came up with the idea of using a paper origami cup as a next generation urine collection cup for the test instead of a test strip.

The biomarker-harvesting Nanotraps are in a glass wool-like substance embedded in the cup. After use, the cup is emptied, collapsed back into its original flat, two-dimensional form, and can be mailed in an envelope for processing.

“Everything that's in the urine is captured by the Nanotraps, and you don't need a centrifuge or other equipment,” said Howard, who completed her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering in 2017. “People loved it. They keep asking when it is going to be available at their local pharmacy.”

Howard is now a doctoral student in biosciences at Mason. During the coronavirus pandemic, Howard was able to get back into the CAPMM lab, but now all the researchers are working on COVID-19-related research.

“We are doing some of the analytical validation studies to help different companies file for FDA approval for their rapid COVID-19 antigen tests,” Howard said. “That's been really interesting and fun—seeing all these different tests that come in.”

For her dissertation, Howard is focusing on cancer research. She is looking at how cancer exosomes (small, membrane-wrapped packages released by cells) communicate. The findings could help create a new kind of immunotherapy.

“[Looking at the exosomes in a tumor sample] is going to tell you a little bit more information than just the pathology would,” she said. “It's sort of telling you what that tumor is thinking and how it is communicating to its neighboring cells.”

With completing her PhD still about a year away, Howard is planning a future in a lab, possibly in an academic setting.

“I love the research space and the creative potential that comes with it,” Howard said. “You never know when your next idea is going to pop up.”

Topics

Students

Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM)

doctoral students

Graduate Education

Laurence Bray, PhD

admin_alpha — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 23:24:01 +0000

Laurence Bray, PhD admin_alpha Tue, 10/20/2015 - 19:24

Laurence Bray, PhD

Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education

Instructional Professor, Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Computing

Contact Information

Campus: Fairfax
Office: 3602 Merten Hall
Mail Stop: 3A2

Phone: (703) 993-6961
Email: lbray2@gmu.edu

Biography

Dr. Laurence Bray is the Senior Associate Provost for Graduate Education and leader of the Graduate Division at George Mason University. Dr. Bray serves as Chair of the Graduate Council and provides overall leadership for the University's portfolio of graduate activities. Prior to her role, she oversaw a wide range of departmental, school, and university-wide educational and research activities as a faculty member and administrator in the Department of Bioengineering.

Dr. Bray is a mentor, a teacher, and a researcher with significant administrative experience. As the 2017 Mentorship Excellence Award winner and the 2018 Teacher of Distinction Recognition recipient, Dr. Bray has been dedicated to student success inside and outside the classroom. In addition, she has received the 2017 Innovative Spirit Award demonstrating her work around innovation and new initiatives. Dr. Bray has also published widely and presented nationally and internationally on topics related to the basic fundamentals of neuroscience using experimental, computational, and behavioral approaches.

Prior to joining Mason, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the Brain Laboratory at the University of Nevada, where she earned her PhD in biomedical and electrical engineering. She graduated with her MS and BS in bioengineering and biological sciences, respectively, from Clemson University.

Education

PhD, Biomedical and Electrical Engineering, University of Nevada
MS, Bioengineering, Clemson University
BS, Biological Sciences, Clemson University