Event Overview

Date & Time: May 9, 2025, 1 -5 p.m. and May 10, 2025, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Location: EnMed Tower, 1020 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX

Format: 10-minute presentations by faculty members from Texas A&M and Houston Methodist; networking opportunities and brainstorming collaborative research projects

Purpose: Foster interdisciplinary collaborations in engineering medicine between Texas A&M University and Houston Methodist faculty.

We plan to fund three collaborative projects as an outcome of this conference. These projects will funded up to $50,000 each.

Register Now

Limited spots

Contact

Dr. Tanmay Lele
tanmay.lele@tamu.edu

Summit Agenda

Friday, May 9, 2025 (Half-Day)

1:00 – 1:10 p.m.Welcome AddressDr. Tim Boone, Interim Dean, Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine
1:10 – 1:25 p.m.Keynote Speaker: Texas A&M’s Research Enterprise: Bridging Engineering and Medicine for Large-Scale ImpactDr. Joe Elabd, Vice Chancellor for Research, Texas A&M University SystemView Biography
Session 1Cardiovascular
1:25 – 1:35 p.m.Models from IPS-Cardiomyocytes Engineered Tissues, Mouse and Large Animal Models to Study Cardiac DiseasesFrancisco Altamirano, PhDView Biosketch
1:35 – 1:45 p.m.Establishing Robust Computational Approaches to Integrate Vascular Biomechanics into the Clinical SettingLuke Timmins, PhDView Biosketch
1:45 – 1:55 p.m.TBDAshutosh Sabharwal, PhD
1:55 – 2:05 p.m.Convergence Engineering: An Organs-on-Chip ApproachAbhishek Jain, PhDView Biosketch
2:05 – 2:20 p.m.Networking Break
Session 2Infectious Disease
2:20 – 2:30 p.m.When Nosocomial Infections Go Rogue: Clinical and Biological ComplicationsJulian Hurdle, PhDView Biosketch
2:30 – 2:40 p.m.A Translational Approach to Antimicrobial ResistanceCesar Arias, MD, MSc, PhD
2:40 – 2:50 p.m.Novel Microbial and Host Phenotypes Under Micro-ConfinementPushkar Lele, PhDView Biosketch
2:50 – 3:00 p.m.A Translational Approach to Understanding Antibiotic Resistance in Healthcare-Associated Gram Negative PathogensWilliam Miller, MDView Biosketch
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.Google Innovation Hub
3:15 – 3:45 p.m.Networking Break
Session 3Neurology
3:45 – 3:55 p.m.Electrical Stimulation for Paralysis: Technology and TherapyDimitry Sayenko, MDView Biography
3:55 – 4:05 p.m.Neuroimaging and Brain Stimulation Insights Into Behavior Across the LifespanJessica Bernard, PhDView Biosketch
4:05 – 4:15 p.m.Targeting the Adaptive Immune System in Neurodegenerative DisordersAlireza Faridar, MDView Biosketch
4:15 – 4:25 p.m.Mechanics and Measurement of Neural SignalsAshutosh Agrawal, PhDView Biosketch
4:30 – 5:00 p.m.Networking and Adjournment

Saturday, May 10, 2025 (Full Day)

9:00 – 9:10 a.m.Welcome Back AddressDr. Tim Boone, Interim Dean, Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine
9:10 – 9:25 a.m.Keynote SpeakerJohn Cooke, MD, PhD
Session 4Cardiovascular
9:25 – 9:35 a.m.Heart Failure Recovery is a Microvascular RecoveryJohn Cooke, MD, PhDView Biosketch
9:35 – 9:45 a.m.Mechanics-informed AI to detect and predict soft tissue remodelingReza Avaz, PhDView Biosketch
9:45 – 9:55 a.m.Bio-integrated Electronics Enabled by Freestanding Semiconductor MembranesJiho Shin, PhD
View Biosketch
9:55 – 10:05 a.m.Beyond the Blindspot: Engineering Precision Vascular InterventionsTrisha Roy, MDView Biosketch
10:05 – 10:15 a.mLeveraging AI to Understand the Exposome-Health InterconnectionsSadeer Al-Kindi, MDView Biosketch
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.Networking Break
Session 5Neurology
10:45 – 10:55 a.m.Brain and Gut Communication and Therapy for Head InjurySonia Villapol, PhDView Biosketch
10:55 – 11:05 a.m.Protein Engineering for ImmunomodulationYubin Zhou, MD, PhD, FAIMBEView Biosketch
11:05 – 11:15 a.m.The Texas A&M Drug Discovery and Development Resource Center @CRBReid Powell, PhDView Biography
11:15 – 11:25 a.m.Porcine Model of Glioblastoma and the ElectromeRobert Rostomily, MDView Biosketch
11:25 – 11:45 a.m.Networking Break
Session 6Cancer
11:45 – 11:55 a.m.Noninvasive Quantitative Imaging Markers for Personalized Cancer TreatmentsRaffaella Righetti, PhDView Biosketch
11:55 – 12:05 p.m.Biophysical Modeling of the Tumor-Immune InteractionJason T. George, MD, PhDView Biosketch
12:05 – 12:15 p.m.Integrating Spatial and Single-cell Transcriptomics to Characterize the Tumor MicroenvironmentKeith Syson Chan, MDView Biosketch
12:15 – 12:25 p.m.Google Innovation Hub
12:25 – 1:15 p.m.Lunch & Networking
Session 7Cancer
1:15 – 1:25 p.m.High Throughput Single Cell Functional Assays for the Prediction of Therapeutic OutcomesShu-Hsia Chen, PhDView Biosketch
1:25 – 1:35 p.m.Phage-Displayed Macrocyclic Peptides for Drug DiscoveryWenshe Ray Liu, PhDView Biography
1:35 – 1:45 p.m.Systems Medicine and Bioengineering Research at Houston MethodistRaksha Raghunathan, PhD
1:45 – 2:15 p.m.Networking Break
Session 8Infectious Disease
2:15 – 2:25 p.m.Microfluidic Models for Host-Microbiota Interactions in Colorectal CancerArul Jayaraman, PhDView Biosketch
2:25 – 2:35 p.m.Antimicrobial Drug Discovery and the Role of Academic LabsLefteris Mylonakis, MD, PhDView Biosketch
2:35 – 2:45 p.m.Objective-driven AI in Computational Systems Biology across Modalities and ScalesXiaoning Qian, PhDView Biosketch
2:45 – 2:55 p.m.Closing Remarks & AdjournmentDr. Tanmay Lele, Senior Associate Dean of Engineering and Research