Calendar

Jan
19
Tue
2021
Cancer Early Detection Seminar Series - Thomas Kislinger, Ph.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
Cancer Early Detection Seminar Series – Thomas Kislinger, Ph.D.
Jan 19 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
Cancer Early Detection Seminar Series - Thomas Kislinger, Ph.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

CEDSS: Systematic identification of fluid-based biomarkers for ovarian and prostate cancer

 

Thomas Kislinger, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair
Department of Medical Biophysics
University of Toronto

Senior Scientist
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

 

Zoom Webinar Details 
Meeting URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/s/94878578384
Dial: +1 650 724 9799 or +1 833 302 1536
Webinar ID: 948 7857 8384
Passcode: 692692
Register Here

 

ABOUT

Thomas Kislinger received his MSc in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Munich, Germany (1998). He completed his PhD in 2001, investigating the role of Advanced Glycation Endproducts in diabetic vascular complications at the University of Erlangen, Germany and Columbia University, New York. Between 2002 and 2006 he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto. In 2006 he joined the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as an independent investigator. Dr. Kislinger holds positions as Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and as Professor and Chair at the University of Toronto in the Department of Medical Biophysics. The Kislinger lab applies proteomics technologies to translational and basic cancer biology. This includes the development of novel proteomics methodologies, identification of liquid biopsy signatures and the molecular identification of novel cell surface markers.

 

Hosted by: Utkan Demirci, Ph.D.
Spon
sored by: The Canary Center & the Department of Radiology 
Stanford University – School of Medicine

Jan
20
Wed
2021
Intersection of Imaging and Therapeutics - MIPS Mini-Retreat @ Virtual Event
Intersection of Imaging and Therapeutics – MIPS Mini-Retreat
Jan 20 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 am Virtual Event
Intersection of Imaging and Therapeutics - MIPS Mini-Retreat @ Virtual Event

Intersection of Imaging and Therapeutics – MIPS Mini-Retreat

Hosted by: Dr. Heike Daldrup-Link, MD & Dr. Katherine Ferrara, PhD

Sponsored by: Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford

 

The MIPS Mini-retreat series brings together members of the MIPS and greater School of Medicine community to discuss current opportunities for research and collaborations. Each month we will discuss a different topic and we invite all those interested to attend. The mini-retreats will be roughly 1.5-2 hours in length with ample time for discussion throughout. We hope you can join us and spark new collaborations!

 

Zoom Webinar Information
Webinar URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/96227145646
Dial: US: +1 650 724 9799  or +1 833 302 1536 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 962 2714 5646
Passcode: 3039816

 

Agenda (all times are in PST)
8:00-8:05 AM – Opening Remarks – Katherine Ferrara, PhD
8:05-8:20 AM – Image-guided Therapy – Heike Daldrup-Link, MD
8:20-8:35 AM – Imaging Antibody Distribution – Eben Rosenthal, MD
8:35-8:50 AM – MRgFUS and Pancreatic Cancer – Pejman Ghanouni, MD, PhD
8:50-9:05 AM – RefleXion – Lucas Kas Vitzhum, MD
9:05-10:00 AM – Discussion – Moderated by: Katherine Ferrara, PhD

 

Jan
28
Thu
2021
MIPS Seminar - Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
MIPS Seminar – Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD
Jan 28 @ 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
MIPS Seminar - Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

MIPS Seminar Series: Translational Opportunities in Glycoscience

Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD
Director, ChEM-H
Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences
Professor, by courtesy, of Chemical and Systems Biology
Stanford University

 

Location: Zoom
Webinar URL: . https://stanford.zoom.us/j/94010708043
Dial: US: +1 650 724 9799  or +1 833 302 1536 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 940 1070 8043
Passcode: 659236

12:00pm – 12:45pm Seminar & Discussion
RSVP Here

 

ABSTRACT
Cell surface glycans constitute a rich biomolecular dataset that drives both normal and pathological processes.  Their “readers” are glycan-binding receptors that can engage in cell-cell interactions and cell signaling.  Our research focuses on mechanistic studies of glycan/receptor biology and applications of this knowledge to new therapeutic strategies.  Our recent efforts center on pathogenic glycans in the tumor microenvironment and new therapeutic modalities based on the concept of targeted degradation.

 

ABOUT
Carolyn Bertozzi is the Baker Family Director of Stanford ChEM-H and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University. She is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research focuses on profiling changes in cell surface glycosylation associated with cancer, inflammation and infection, and exploiting this information for development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, most recently in the area of immuno-oncology. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She also has been awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize, among many others.

 

Hosted by: Katherine Ferrara, PhD
Sponsored by: Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford & the Department of Radiology

Feb
16
Tue
2021
PHIND Seminar - Thalia Robakis, M.D., Ph.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
PHIND Seminar – Thalia Robakis, M.D., Ph.D.
Feb 16 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
PHIND Seminar - Thalia Robakis, M.D., Ph.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

PHIND Seminar Series: Maternal Trauma History, Attachment Style, and Depression Are Associated with Broad DNA Methylation Signatures in Infants

Thalia Robakis, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Mount Sinai School of Medicine

 

Location: Zoom
Webinar URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/s/95483174518
Dial: US: +1 650 724 9799  or +1 833 302 1536 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 954 8317 4518
Passcode: 179384
11:00am – 12:00pm Seminar & Discussion
RSVP Here

 

ABSTRACT

Background: The early environment provides many cues to young organisms that guide their development as they mature.  Maternal personality and behavior are an important aspect of the environment of the developing human infant.  The molecular mechanisms by which these influences are exerted are not well understood.  We attempted to identify whether maternal traits could be associated with alterations in DNA methylation patterns in infants.

Methods: 32 women oversampled for history of depression were recruited in pregnancy and provided information on depressive symptoms, attachment style, and history of early life adversity.  Buccal cell DNA was obtained from their infants at six months of age for a large-scale analysis of methylation patterns across 5×106 individual CpG dinucleotides, using clustering-based criteria for significance to control for multiple comparisons.  Separately, associations between maternal depression, attachment style, and history of adversity and psychobehavioral outcomes in preschool-age children were examined.

Results: Tens of thousands of individual infant CpGs were alternatively methylated in association with each of the three studied maternal traits.  Genes implicated in cell-cell communication, developmental patterning, growth, immune function/inflammatory response, and neurotransmission were identified. The result sets were highly coextensive among the three maternal traits, but areas of divergence exhibited intriguing parallels with behavioral outcomes.

Conclusions: Maternal personality traits are an important aspect of the infant environment that shapes offspring development in many ways.  Infant genes that are epigenetically modified in reponse to maternal traits are potential candidate mediators for these effects.  We have identified a large number of such genes and demonstrated parallels to clinically measurable outcomes in children.

 

ABOUT
Dr. Robakis is a psychiatrist with clinical and research interests in perinatal mood disorders and in the contribution of early life experiences to adult mental health and illness.  She completed her M.D. as well as a Ph.D. in developmental neurobiology at Columbia University’s Medical Scientist Training Program, residency training in psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a research fellowship in perinatal mood disorders also at Stanford. She remained on the clinical faculty at Stanford until 2019, when she accepted a position at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she is currently Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Assistant Director of the Women’s Mental Health Program.

Dr. Robakis’ research interests include the effects of early life stress and disordered attachment on risk for psychiatric illness in the perinatal period, on alterations in metabolism and cognition, and on psychobehavioral development in offspring.  She is particularly interested in using epigenetic marks to help identify the biological pathways through which early life experiences exert their effects on outcomes in adulthood and intergenerationally.

 

Hosted by: Garry Gold, M.D.
Sponsored by the PHIND Center and the Department of Radiology

Feb
17
Wed
2021
Imaging Immune Cell Modulation - MIPS Mini-Retreat @ Virtual Event
Imaging Immune Cell Modulation – MIPS Mini-Retreat
Feb 17 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 am Virtual Event
Imaging Immune Cell Modulation - MIPS Mini-Retreat @ Virtual Event

Imaging Immune Cell Modulation – MIPS Mini-Retreat

Hosted by: Dr. Katherine Ferrara, PhD

Sponsored by: Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford

 

The MIPS Mini-retreat series brings together members of the MIPS and greater School of Medicine community to discuss current opportunities for research and collaborations. Each month we will discuss a different topic and we invite all those interested to attend. The mini-retreats will be roughly 1.5-2 hours in length with ample time for discussion throughout. We hope you can join us and spark new collaborations!

 

Zoom Webinar Information
Webinar URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/94969801773  
Dial: US: +1 650 724 9799  or +1 833 302 1536 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 949 6980 1773
Passcode: 292995

 

Agenda (all times are in PST)
8:00-8:05 AM – Opening Remarks – Katherine Ferrara, PhD
8:05-8:25 AM – Imaging CAR-T cells – Clinical Need – Crystal Mackall, MD
8:25-8:45 AM – Imaging Immune Cells in Cancer – Clinical Need – Ronald Levy, MD
8:45-9:05 AM – Imaging Approaches – Anna Wu, PhD
9:05-10:00 AM – Discussion – Moderated by: Katherine Ferrara, PhD

Feb
25
Thu
2021
MIPS Seminar - Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
MIPS Seminar – Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD
Feb 25 @ 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
MIPS Seminar - Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

MIPS Seminar Series: “Convergent, translational research to improve human health”

Joseph M. DeSimone, PhD
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering
Departments of Radiology and Chemical Engineering
Graduate School of Business (by Courtesy)
Stanford University

 

Location: Zoom
Webinar URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/s/98460805010
Dial: +1 650 724 9799 or +1 833 302 1536
Webinar ID: 984 6080 5010
Passcode: 809226

12:00pm – 12:45pm Seminar & Discussion
RSVP Here

 

ABSTRACT
In many ways, manufacturing processes define what’s possible in society.  Central to our interests in the DeSimone laboratory are opportunities to make things using cutting-edge fabrication technologies that can improve human health.  This lecture will describe advances in nano- / micro-fabrication and 3D printing technologies that we have made and employed toward this end.  Using novel perfluoropolyether materials synthesized in our lab in 2004, we invented the Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates (PRINT) technology, a high-resolution imprint lithography-based process to fabricate nano- and micro-particles with precise and independent control over particle parameters (e.g. size, shape, modulus, composition, charge, surface chemistry).  PRINT brought the precision and uniformity associated with computer industry manufacturing technologies to medicine, resulting in the launch of Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ: LQDA) and opening new research paths, including to elucidate the influence of specific particle parameters in biological systems (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2008), and to reveal insights to inform the design of vaccines (J. Control. Release 2018), targeted therapeutics (Nano Letters 2015), and even synthetic blood (PNAS 2011).  In 2015, we reported the invention of the Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) 3D printing technology (Science 2015), which overcame major fundamental limitations in polymer 3D printing—slowness, a very limited range of materials, and an inability to create parts with the mechanical and thermal properties needed for widespread, durable utility.  By rethinking the physics and chemistry of 3D printing, we created CLIP to eliminate layer-by-layer fabrication altogether.  A rapid, continuous process, CLIP generates production-grade parts and is now transforming how products are manufactured in industries including automotive, footwear, and medicine.  For example, to help address shortages, CLIP recently enabled a new nasopharyngeal swab for COVID-19 diagnostic testing to go from concept to market in just 20 days, followed by a 400-patient clinical trial at Stanford.  Academic laboratories are also using CLIP to pursue new medical device possibilities, including geometrically complex IVRs to optimize drug delivery and implantable chemotherapy absorbers to limit toxic side effects.  Vast opportunities exist to use CLIP to pursue next-generation medical devices and prostheses.  Moreover, CLIP can improve current approaches; for example, the fabrication of an iontophoretic device we invented several years ago (Sci. Transl. Med. 2015) to drive chemotherapeutics directly into hard-to-reach solid tumors is now being optimized for clinical trials with CLIP.  New design opportunities also exist in early detection, for example to improve specimen collection, device performance (e.g. microfluidics, cell sorting, supporting growth and studies with human organoids), and imaging (e.g. PET detectors, ultrasound transducers).  Here at Stanford, we are pursuing new 3D printing advances, including software treatment planning for digital therapeutic devices in pediatric medicine, as well as the design of a high-resolution printer capable of single-digit micron resolution to advance microneedle designs as a potent delivery platform for vaccines.  The impact of our work on human health ultimately relies on our ability to enable a convergent research program to take shape that allows for new connections to be made among traditionally disparate disciplines and concepts, and to ensure that we maintain a consistent focus on the translational potential of our discoveries and advances.

 

ABOUT
Joseph M. DeSimone is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. He holds appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Chemical Engineering with a courtesy appointment in Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Previously, DeSimone was a professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and of chemical engineering at North Carolina State University. He is also Co-founder, Board Chair, and former CEO (2014 – 2019) of the additive manufacturing company, Carbon.

DeSimone is responsible for numerous breakthroughs in his career in areas including green chemistry, medical devices, nanomedicine, and 3D printing, also co-founding several companies based on his research. He has published over 350 scientific articles and is a named inventor on over 200 issued patents. Additionally, he has mentored 80 students through Ph.D. completion in his career, half of whom are women and members of underrepresented groups in STEM. In 2016 DeSimone was recognized by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest U.S. honor for achievement and leadership in advancing technological progress. He is also one of only 25 individuals elected to all three branches of the U.S. National Academies (Sciences, Medicine, Engineering). DeSimone received his B.S. in Chemistry in 1986 from Ursinus College and his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1990 from Virginia Tech.

 

Hosted by: Katherine Ferrara, PhD
Sponsored by: Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford & the Department of Radiology

Mar
2
Tue
2021
Cancer Early Detection Seminar Series - Melissa Wong, Ph.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
Cancer Early Detection Seminar Series – Melissa Wong, Ph.D.
Mar 2 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
Cancer Early Detection Seminar Series - Melissa Wong, Ph.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

CEDSS: Disseminated cell hybrids as biomarkers for cancer detection, prognosis and treatment response

Melissa Wong, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Cell, Development and Cancer Biology
Program Co-Lead, Knight Cancer Institute
Oregon Health & Science University

 

Zoom Details
Meeting URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/s/98184098662
Dial: US: +1 650 724 9799  or +1 833 302 1536 (Toll Free)
Meeting ID: 981 8409 8662
Passcode: 084321

RSVP Here!

 

ABSTRACT

Metastatic progression defines the final stages of tumor evolution and underlies the majority of cancer-related deaths. The heterogeneity in disseminated tumor cell populations capable of seeding and growing in distant organ sites contributes to the development of treatment resistant disease.  We recently reported the identification of a novel tumor-derived cell population, circulating hybrid cells (CHCs), harboring attributes from both macrophages and neoplastic cells, including functional characteristics important to metastatic spread. These disseminated hybrids outnumber conventionally defined circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients. It is unknown if CHCs represent a generalized cancer mechanism for cell dissemination, or if this population is relevant to the metastatic cascade. We detect CHCs in the peripheral blood of patients with cancer in myriad disease sites encompassing epithelial and non-epithelial malignancies. Further, we demonstrate that in vivo-derived hybrid cells harbor tumor-initiating capacity in murine cancer models and that CHCs from human breast cancer patients express stem cell antigens, features consistent with the ability to seed and grow at metastatic sites. We reveal heterogeneity of CHC phenotypes reflect key tumor features, including oncogenic mutations and functional protein expression. Importantly, this novel population of disseminated neoplastic cells opens a new area in cancer biology and renewed opportunity for battling metastatic disease.

 

ABOUT

The research focus of the Wong laboratory revolves around understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control epithelial stem cell homeostasis and their expansion in developmental, homeostasis and disease contexts, including cancer. I have substantial training and experience in intestinal stem cell investigation leveraging in vivo and ex vivo modeling, as well as in myriad cutting edge technologies (i.e. cyCIF, scRNA-seq). My publication record spans my post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. Jeffrey Gordon’s laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine, to studies in my own laboratory at Oregon Health & Science University. Our research impacts the understanding of regulatory mechanisms that govern cell state in the context of the evolving tissue microenvironment and changing cell signaling landscape, in development and disease.

 

Our studies in stem cell regulation led to the intriguing finding that stem cells can fuse with tissue macrophages in the context of injury repair and may impact tissue regeneration. We have extended these findings to the cancer setting, where cancer-macrophage fusions are detectible in primary and metastatic tumors, and my group recently identified and characterized these cells as a novel circulating tumor cell population. Importantly, our studies in cell culture, in mice and humans provide an indepth evaluation of hybrid cells to set the foundation for continued investigations into their biology, impact on disease progression or tissue regeneration, and use as a biomarker for disease burden. Importantly, we coined the term, circulating hybrid cell (CHC) for this novel population and reported they exist at higher levels than conventionally defined circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients. This work was published in 2018 and highlighted by Science Magazine as one of the top ten publications in the cancer field in the science family journals. The science proposed in this U01 application leverage hybrid cell biology to assess treatment response and resistance in breast cancer patients undergoing targeted therapy. Our proposal leverages active collaborations with Dr. Young Hwan Young’s group to synergize biology with computation, as well as a number of other valuable collaborators to ensure success of the proposed, cutting-edge science.

 

Hosted by: Utkan Demirci, Ph.D.
Spon
sored by: The Canary Center & the Department of Radiology 
Stanford University – School of Medicine

Mar
23
Tue
2021
PHIND Symposium @ Virtual Livestream
PHIND Symposium
Mar 23 @ 9:30 am – 4:05 pm Virtual Livestream
PHIND Symposium @ Virtual Livestream

Join us for the annual Precision Health & Integrated Diagnostics Symposium. This all-day virtual event will showcase the exciting PHIND work that is going on campus wide. The featured presentations will be from current PHIND investigators and Precision Health experts. We hope you can join us and look forward to building the PHIND community together.

Register Here

The agenda and speaker information are available on the PHIND website. The event is fully virtual and the livestream link will be posted on the PHIND website closer to the event.
Mar
25
Thu
2021
MIPS Seminar - Shan X. Wang, PhD @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
MIPS Seminar – Shan X. Wang, PhD
Mar 25 @ 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
MIPS Seminar - Shan X. Wang, PhD @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

MIPS Seminar Series: “Circulating Tumor DNA Biomarkers for Therapy Monitoring and Early Detection”

Shan X. Wang, PhD
Leland T. Edwards Professor in the School of Engineering
Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, jointly of Electrical Engineering, and by courtesy of Radiology (Stanford School of Medicine)
Director, Stanford Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology
Stanford University

 

Location: Zoom
Webinar URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/s/93202777468
Dial: +1 650 724 9799 or +1 833 302 1536
Webinar ID: 932 0277 7468
Passcode: 851144

12:00pm – 12:45pm Seminar & Discussion
RSVP Here

 

ABSTRACT
Inspired by Dr Sam Gambhir, MIPS, Canary Center, and Stanford CCNE have pursued in vivo imaging and in vitro diagnostic tests for cancer therapeutic response or early detection, respectively, over the last 15+ years. Here I present two successful examples based on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) targets in plasma, complementary to imaging modalities such as CT and Ultrasound.

We have developed a simple yet highly sensitive assay for the detection of actionable mutational targets such as Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Kirsten rat sarcoma oncogene (KRAS) mutations in the plasma ctDNA from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients using giant magnetoresistive (GMR) nanosensors. Our assay achieves lower limits of detection compared to standard fluorescent PCR based assays, and comparable performance to digital PCR methods. In 30 patients with metastatic disease and known EGFR mutation status at diagnosis, our assay achieved 87.5% sensitivity for Exon19 deletion and 90% sensitivity for L858R mutation while retaining 100% specificity; additionally, our assay detected secondary T790M mutation resistance with 96.3% specificity while retaining 100% sensitivity. We re-sampled 13 patients undergoing tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy 2 weeks after initiation to assess response, our GMR assay was 100% accurate in correlation with longitudinal clinical outcome, and the responders identified by the GMR assay had significantly improved progression free survival (PFS) compared to the non-responders. The GMR assay is low cost, rapid, and portable, making it ideal for detecting actionable mutations at diagnosis and non-invasively monitoring treatment response in the clinic.

On another front, we have also developed a highly sensitive and multiplexed assay for the detection of methylated ctDNA targets in plasma samples. Current diagnostic tests for liver cancer in at-risk patients are cumbersome, costly and inaccurate, resulting in a need for accurate blood-based tests. By devising a Layered Analysis of Methylated Biomarkers (LAMB) from the relevant big data, we have discovered a set of DNA targets in the blood that accurately detects liver cancer in these at-risk patients. This set of methylated targets was found by analyzing the genetic information of 3411 liver cancer patients and 1722 healthy people. Our results could lead to clinical adoption of liquid biopsy tests for liver cancer surveillance in high-risk populations and the development of blood tests for other cancers.

 

ABOUT
Prof. Wang directs the Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology and is a leading expert in biosensors, information storage and spintronics. His research and inventions span across a variety of areas including magnetic biochips, in vitro diagnostics, cancer biomarkers, magnetic nanoparticles, magnetic sensors, magnetoresistive random access memory, and magnetic integrated inductors. He has over 300 publications, and holds 65 issued or pending patents in these and interdisciplinary areas. He was named an inaugural Fred Terman Fellow, and was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a Fellow of American Physical Society (APS) for his seminal contributions to magnetic materials and nanosensors. His team won the Grand Challenge Exploration Award from Gates Foundation (2010), the XCHALLENGE Distinguished Award (2014), and the Bold Epic Innovator Award from the XPRIZE Foundation (2017).

Dr. Wang cofounded three high-tech startups in Silicon Valley, including MagArray, Inc. and Flux Biosciences, Inc. In 2018 MagArray launched a first of its kind lung cancer early diagnostic assay based on protein cancer biomarkers and support vector machine (SVM). In 2019, Flux Biosciences launched a human trial to offer at-home testing of fertility based on hormones and magneto-nanosensors. Through his participation in the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (as co-PI of the CCNE) and the Joint University Microelectronics Program (JUMP), he is actively engaged in the transformative research of healthcare and is developing emerging memories for energy efficient computing.

 

 

Hosted by: Katherine Ferrara, PhD
Sponsored by: Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford & the Department of Radiology

Apr
20
Tue
2021
PHIND Seminar - Manuel Garcia-Toca, M.D. & Oliver O. Aalami, M.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
PHIND Seminar – Manuel Garcia-Toca, M.D. & Oliver O. Aalami, M.D.
Apr 20 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link
PHIND Seminar - Manuel Garcia-Toca, M.D. & Oliver O. Aalami, M.D. @ Zoom - See Description for Zoom Link

PHIND Seminar Series: Impact of the Veterans Affairs National Abdominal Aortic Screening Program

Manuel Garcia-Toca, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Surgery
Chief, Division of  Vascular Surgery
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC)

 

Oliver O. Aalami, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery, Vascular Surgery
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

 

Location: Zoom
Webinar URL: https://stanford.zoom.us/s/98417624095
Dial: US: +1 650 724 9799  or +1 833 302 1536 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 984 1762 4095
Passcode: 111283

11:00am – 12:00pm Seminar & Discussion
RSVP Here

 

ABSTRACT

Background: The U.S. Federal Government enacted the Screen for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently Act in January 2007. Simultaneously, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented a more inclusive AAA screening policy for veteran beneficiaries shortly afterwards.

 

Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of the VA program on AAA detection rate and all-cause mortality compared to a cohort of patients whose aneurysms were identified by other abdominal imaging.

 

Methods: We identified veterans with an AAA screening study using the two existing Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes (G0389 and 76706).  In the comparison group, eligible abdominal imaging studies included ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) queried according to CPT codes between 2001 and 2018.

 

We used a difference-in-differences regression model to evaluate the change in aneurysm detection rate and all-cause mortality five years before and eleven years after the VA implemented the screening policy in 2007.

 

We calculated survival estimates after AAA screening or non-screening imaging of patients with or without AAA diagnosis and used multivariate Cox regression model to evaluate mortality in patients with a positive AAA diagnosis adjusting for patient characteristics and comorbidities.

 

Results: We identified 3.9 million veterans with abdominal imaging, a total of 303,664 of whom were coded has having an AAA US screening between 2007 and 2018. An AAA diagnosis was made in 4.84% of the screening group vs. 1.3% in the non-screening imaging group P<0.001, yet more aneurysms were found with general imaging studies (50,730 vs.15,449) (Fig 1).

 

On Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, patients with an AAA diagnosis had higher overall mortality than patients who screened normal; patients with aneurysms found with non-screening imaging had the highest mortality, log-rank P<0.001 (Fig 2).

 

The difference in differences regression analysis, showed that the absolute AAA detection rate was 1.55% higher (95% CI 1.2- 1.8), and the mortality was 13.89 % lower (95% CI 10.18 %-16.66 %) after the introduction of the screening program in 2007.

 

Multivariate Cox regression analysis in patients with AAA diagnosis (65-74-year-old) demonstrated a significantly lower 5-year mortality [HR 0.45 (95% CI 0.43-0.48)] for patients in the US Screening group P<0.001.

 

Conclusions: In a nationwide analysis of VA patients, implementation of AAA screening was associated with improved survival and a higher rate of AAA diagnosis. These findings provide further support for this program’s continuation versus defaulting to incidental recognition following other abdominal imaging.

 

ABOUT MANUEL GARCIA-TOCA
Dr. Garcia-Toca earned his medical degree at the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico 1999. He has a master’s degree in Health Policy from Stanford University.

 

He received his general surgery training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brown University in 2008. He then completed a Vascular Surgery fellowship at Northwestern University in 2010. Dr. Garcia-Toca is board certified in both surgery and vascular surgery.

 

Dr. Garcia-Toca joined Stanford Vascular Surgery in 2015. He is currently Clinical Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery. Dr. Garcia-Toca had previously served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Brown University.  Dr. Garcia Toca is a Staff Surgeon at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

 

His research interests include new therapeutic strategies and outcomes for the management of vascular trauma, cerebrovascular diseases, dialysis access, aortic dissection and aneurysms.

 

ABOUT OLIVER O. AALAMI
Dr. Aalami is a Clinical Associate Professor of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery at Stanford University and the Palo Alto VA and serves as the Lead Director of Stanford’s Biodesign for Digital Health. He is the course director for Biodesign for Digital Health,  Building for Digital Health and co-founder of the open source project,  CardinalKit, developed to support sensor-based mobile research projects.  His primary research focuses on clinically validating the sensors in smartphones and smartwatches in patients with cardiovascular disease to further precision health implementation.

 

Hosted by: Garry Gold, M.D.
Sponsored by the PHIND Center and the Department of Radiology