Loading
Print This Issue
Subscribe:
E-Almanac

$2.8 Million for Systems Biology
November 14, 2006, Volume 53, No. 12

Scott Diamond

The University of Pennsylvania was awarded a $2.8 million grant as one of three national centers for Systems Biology by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH.

The three-year project will focus on “Blood Systems Biology” and is headed by Dr. Scott L. Diamond,  Arthur E. Humphrey Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering; Associate Director and Charter Member, Institute for Medicine and Engineering; Director, Biotechnology Program; and Director, Penn Center for Molecular Discovery.

The Cluster Team will deploy integrative and hierarchical computational models and experimental studies to predict spatial-temporal processes in mouse and human blood under hemodynamic conditions. An interdisciplinary team of faculty from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences includes Drs. Daniel Hammer (bioengineering), Talid Sinno (chemical and biomolecular engineering) and George Biros (mechanical engineering and applied mechanics) along with Dr. Skip Brass  (medicine and pharmacology) and Dr. Mark Kahn (cardiovascular medicine) from the School of Medicine. The team has expertise in experimental and computational hemodynamics, platelet biology, coagulation and protease biochemistry, continuum/stochastic simulation, robotic automation, and knockout mice for thrombosis research. 

“Blood is ideal for Systems Biology research since it is easily obtained from donors or patients, amenable to high throughput liquid handling experiments, and clinically relevant,” said Dr.  Diamond. “Better elucidation and quantitative simulation of blood reactions and platelet signaling pathways under hemodynamic conditions are directed at clinical needs in thrombosis risk assessment, anti-coagulation therapy, platelet targeted therapies, and stroke research,” he added.

Almanac - November 14, 2006, Volume 53, No. 12