Texas A&M Cardiovascular Pathology Laboratory (CVPath)’s Post

I work in a fast-paced research environment, in which there’s a never-ending conveyer belt of work, with long days, tight deadlines, and unplanned extras that throw a spanner into the works literally every day. I bet most of you can relate to much of all of this. It takes a dedicated team with their eye on the mission to come together and do their best to win the week. I’m privileged to be part of one such team. Every weekend, I like to reflect on the wins we had in our department during the past week. It’s easy to focus on the frustrations, the curveballs, or what you didn’t quite check off the To Do list. So I find that a little positive reframing is not just a good reminder of what went well, but also sets me up for a positive start to the week. Sharing some of these positives here makes them seem more real! What wins did you have last week? ———————————————— CELEBRATING SOME OF LAST WEEK’S WINS I asked our Pathology team what went well for them, and here are a few of their thoughts: ✅ One of our beloved regular student interns has returned for the summer. And another new student intern who joined us in May wants to stay a month longer than planned. ✅ Our Clinical Pathology Lab is working on an important project that is, so far, going smoothly. ✅ One particular medical device recently received FDA approval for clinical use. Our team had been involved at the preclinical evaluation stage, so they felt proud to have played a role in the whole process. ✅ One of our senior histotechnicians had sectioned a minute gross specimen and had successfully located a microscopic target area of concern in the specimen. Stellar work! ☘️ The Celtics won!

TTUHSC #MolecularPathology students are celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week all over the country during their clinical rotations!  What makes the Master of Science in Molecular Pathology program different than other graduate programs in molecular biology? Students experience an 8-week clinical internship as part of the curriculum and are eligible for board certification upon graduation. They are ready to do molecular diagnostics for patient care! #2024MLPW #ASCPLabWeek24

New Grant for Elzoghby ImmunoEngineering Laboratory at Engineering in Medicine Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School I am excited to share that my project titled “Highly Penetrating Nanodisc for Targeting Fibroblast Plasticity in Pulmonary Fibrosis” has been awarded funding through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Discovery Award by the Department of Defense. This grant will allow us to test a novel approach to combating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by simultaneously targeting CTHRC1 and COUP-TFII to remodel matrix-producing lung fibroblasts into a quiescent state, reversing fibrosis in IPF. Our team will develop an ultrasmall covalently circularized nanodisc, a highly innovative drug carrier designed to penetrate the dense extracellular matrix of fibrotic lungs and selectively target activated fibroblasts. This groundbreaking platform can pave the way for new, effective antifibrotic therapies that far exceed the capabilities of current treatments. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my incredible collaborators, Dr. Mahmoud Nasr, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Lida Hariri, and Dr. Rachel Knipe, Massachusetts General Hospital, for their invaluable expertise and support in making this project a reality. Together, we’re driving impactful innovation in pulmonary fibrosis research! We are also welcoming research trainees and interns to join us in this exciting project, offering hands-on experience and training in cutting-edge nanotechnology and fibrosis research. For those interested in joining our team, feel free to reach out to me at [aelzoghby@bwh.harvard.edu]. #PulmonaryFibrosis #Nanomedicine #FibroblastTargeting #InnovationInMedicine #DoDFunded #ResearchForImpact #AntifibroticTherapies #Nanotechnology #TeamScience #ResearchInternships #TrainingOpportunities

For my internship, we are to rotate through different departments so we can have hands-on experience as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. So when we move through each department, we are to do a seminar presentation relevant to that unit, in which we would be assigned supervisors. My first presentation was in the Haematology and Blood Transfusion Department where I presented on Anaemia of Chronic Disease. Sometimes, when someone is short of blood (anaemic), it can be as a result of underlying conditions like cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart problem, and some other chronic infections. To treat such anemia, it is crucial to manage the condition causing it to prevent recurrence. That is after the patient's life must have been saved with blood transfusion. During my research, I was more enlightened on how some chronic conditions cause anemia and it further reinforces my belief that learning should never stop for me and you. #hanifatbello #biomedicalscientist #seminarpresentation #Haematology

Introducing Zachary Chan from Cornell University as part of our summer clinical research internship program! Zachary is inspired by the exploration of the intersectionality between cardiovascular research and its impact on clinical care. This summer, he is excited to observe cardiovascular procedures, work with his team, and advance his knowledge and experience in the field of cardiology! ❤️ Read more about Zachary and his clinical research project here: https://buff.ly/3yCFfEF

If anyone is interested in learning more about co-op programs and what co-ops in Biomedical Engineering can look like, join the webinar tomorrow!

Happy Immunofluorescence Birthday!🎂 Today marks the celebration of Immunofluorescence Birthday. My first meeting with immunofluorescence during my internship left a lasting impression on me. The vibrant colors and intricate patterns on the computer screen, connected to the microscope, revealed an entirely new world. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the glowing cells, each one a moment of pure wonder. What is immunofluorescence? This technique allows us to visualize specific proteins in cells by illuminating them. Here's a quick overview: 1. Preparation: Cells or tissue samples are placed on slides to preserve their structure. 2. Primary Antibody: Apply a primary antibody that binds to the target protein. 3. Secondary Antibody:Add a secondary antibody that binds to the primary antibody and carries a fluorescent dye. 4. Visualization:Use a special microscope to make the dye glow, revealing the location of the protein. Why is it important? -Research: It helps scientists map the location of proteins, which is crucial for understanding cell function and diseases . - Diagnosis: Vital for diagnosing diseases by identifying protein markers. - Drug Development: Essential for observing how drugs interact with cells. Immunofluorescence opens a window into the beautiful and complex world of cells, sparking curiosity with each discovery. #Immunofluorescence #CellBiology #MolecularBiology #Research #Biotechnology #Science

Hey everyone, Last summer I was an intern at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center through Dr. Joshua Levy's EDIT ML program. Program Link: https://lnkd.in/eWRA9CB7 Pseudo-Abstract: In the program, I got the opportunity to research a multimodal approach to correlating image samples of tissue with their corresponding Pathology reports. We applied embedding models to vectorize (i.e. represent numerically) the non-numerical image and text data and clustering models to group them by visual and semantic similarity. Applications: The intended application of our technology lies in both the clinical and educational setting. Clinically, if a pathologist encounters a tissue sample that is difficult to analyze/diagnose, he/she can input that image into our model and have received an N number cluster of similar tissue samples and their corresponding pathology reports, which could shed light on how to diagnose the current sample. Educationally, aspiring pathologists and practitioners could be trained on sets of tissue samples to identify important characteristics that dictate just how similar two images are, a skill that is important in being able to effectively and accurately analyze a specific sample based on understanding of past examples. As an example, the attached image depicts three clusters of tissue images whose similarity (denoted by the variable d) is quantified by our model using the Euclidean distance between the vectorized data. If you'd like to learn more about the project and the technical nuances, feel free to check out the corresponding medium page: https://lnkd.in/eaJNJw5u Other Authors: David Li: https://lnkd.in/eMqqmiQD Samvrit Rao: https://lnkd.in/edk2TbH8 Vatsal Sivaratri: https://lnkd.in/ev82rmsJ

I’m thrilled to share that I have successfully completed my summer internship at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a prestigious unit of DRDO. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience working on the project titled “Lyophilization and Revival of DH5 Alpha to Evaluate Transformed Plasmid Integrity.” During this internship, I gained hands-on experience and deepened my understanding of critical biotechnological processes. Here is a brief introduction Injuries sustained in defence contexts pose unique challenges in terms of treatment. Current approaches, while effective to some extent, have notable limitations. Consequently, exploring innovative strategies is imperative. Tissue engineering offers a promising avenue for addressing defence injuries. However, traditional scaffold-based treatments encounter hurdles, notably in the preparation and application of dry scaffolds containing live cells. To overcome these challenges, we've pioneered a method to embed dry cells within scaffolds. Central to our approach is assessing DNA integrity post-lyophilization. Through lyophilization revival experiments using bacteria DH5-alpha , we examined DNA integrity by plasmid isolation.. While cryopreservation is a common preservation method, it too has limitations. These include the requirement for specialized equipment and infrastructure, which can be costly and logistically challenging. Moreover, the process of freezing and thawing cells can induce cellular damage, such as ice crystal formation and osmotic stress, leading to reduced viability and functionality post-thaw. Cryopreservation typically necessitates the use of cryoprotectants to mitigate damage, which may introduce toxicity and alter cellular behaviour. These constraints underscore the need for alternative preservation methods, such as lyophilization, to address the shortcomings of cryopreservation. Following the limitations of cryopreservation, our focus shifted towards lyophilization as a potential solution. Employing a tailored formulation and an 18-hour cycle, we successfully lyophilized DH5-Alpha E.coli cells. Upon revival in LB medium, the bacteria showed no signs of cellular damage, indicating the efficacy of our approach. Remarkably, we observed a threefold increase in revival rates within 24 hours, suggesting a significant enhancement in revival chances. These findings underscore the potential of lyophilization method in preserving DNA integrity .

Exciting Journey in Cytogenetics at KHCC! During my time in the Cytogenetics department at KHCC which supervised by Ala' Hejazi,MSc,CG(ASCP) who I really want to thank the most , I had the incredible opportunity to deepen my knowledge and skills in various cytogenetic techniques. FISH: From harvesting and dropping samples to selecting the appropriate probe for the specific mutation being investigated, I've witnessed the entire process, including analyzing the results under a fluorescent microscope.Special thanks for Suha Fataftah & Heba Abutaha for your incredible guidance and support ♥️ Karyotyping: with the supervision of Raghad Tehabsim I cultured and harvested samples,ensuring the presence of metaphases via light microscopy . After G-banding, I used the Metafer slide scanning system for imaging and analyzed 20 metaphases per patient using IKaros software . Interestingly, the "ugly" metaphases often revealed abnormalities, which are considered significant if present in more than 3 to 5 karyotypes.🧬 Chromosome Breakage Test: I conducted tests for Fanconi anemia using Diepoxybutane (DEB) and Mitomycin C (MMC). DEB and MMC work by inducing DNA cross-links that challenge the cell’s DNA repair mechanisms. In Fanconi anemia cells, this results in significant chromosomal breakage and radial formations, confirming the diagnosis.🧪 This experience has been invaluable in honing my technical skills and deepening my understanding of cytogenetics. #KHCC #CYTOGENETICS #INTERNSHIP