2009 Annual Fall Scientific Meeting
Pre-conference Workshop

Tissue Engineering of the Nervous System:
Approaches and Strategies for the Repair of Peripheral and Spinal Cord Injuries

October 7, 2009, 1-5 PM

Post docs, graduate students and undergraduates are welcome and encouraged to attend this event!

Registration: $99 Member/ $149 Non-Member

September 5 is the Deadline to Register: 

(BMES will cancel any workshop with insufficient advance registrants)

This pre-meeting workshop proposal comes at an opportunistic time when neuroscience and biomedical engineering research is in a rapid growth phase.  Indeed, tissue engineering was a major topic at the 2008 Society for Neuroscience meeting where biomedical engineers had a unique opportunity to discuss their research with leading neurobiologists and clinicians. At times, neurobiologists can be wary of the goal of tissue engineers and question their approach.  This could be due to a misunderstanding of an engineering approach, or due to an engineers disregard for surrounding biology.  For instance, novel biomaterial scaffolds are frequently proposed; however, the biology beyond the material is not often considered.  In other cases, the efficacy of a new tissue engineering approach is not evaluated against the gold standard treatment.

AGENDA

The overall goal of this workshop is to bring neurobiologists, clinicians and engineers together to redefine and revitalize the tissue engineering approach to nervous system repair.

Hear presentations from and discuss your ideas with leaders in the field:

• SCI Clinical Goals and Strategies
  David Okonkwo, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, http://www.neurosurgery.pitt.edu/faculty/okonkwo.html
  
• SCI Neurobiological Perspectives on Research
  Philip Popovich, PhD, Professor, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology & Medical Genetics, Ohio State University, http://ngsp.osu.edu/3534.cfm
  
• PNS Clinical Goals and Strategies
  Susan MacKinnon, MD, Shoenberg Professor and Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Washington University, http://www.surgery.wustl.edu/cv.aspx?drid=66
  
• PNS Neurobiological Perspectives on Research
  Tessa Gordon, PhD, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Canada, http://www.neuroscience.ualberta.ca/Home/FacultyMembers/
  
• Tissue Engineering the Nervous System �  Topics for Discussion
  Kacey G. Marra, PhD, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/people/bios/Marra1.asp

• National Institutes of Health: Naomi Kleitman, PhD (NINDS), Rosemarie Hunziker, PhD, (NIBIB) and National Science Foundation: Tim Conway, PhD (CBET)
  
• Industry Leaders: Patrick Snowhill, PhD, Integra Life Sciences

• Biomedical Engineers: Ravi Bellamkonda, PhD, Georgia Tech, D. Kacey Cullen, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Bryan Pfister, PhD and Treena Arinzeh, PhD, New Jersey Institute of Technology

The goals of this workshop are:

• To bring neurobiologists, clinicians and engineers together to define the needs of nervous tissue engineering
• To hold panel discussions to discuss and revitalize the tissue engineering approach to nervous system repair
• To highlight promising approaches; determine what is needed to overcome the gold standard treatment
• To promote interdisciplinary research and discussion

Organizers: Bryan Pfister and Treena Livingston Arinzeh, NJ Institute of Technology and Naomi Kleitman, National Institute of Health (NINDS)

This workshop is sponsored by:

• NJIT, Department of Biomedical Engineering
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• ALA Scientific Instruments
• Fisher Scientific

Important Links:

Updated Workshop Information:
http://biomedical.njit.edu/news/2009/2009-bmes-workshop.php

BMES 2009 Annual Fall Scientific Meeting
http://www.bmes.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=81653&orgId=bes