Congressional staff listen to opening remarks delivered by NIBIB Director Bruce Tromberg before participating in technology demonstrations given by NIBIB grantees.

NIBIB Director Bruce Tromberg welcomes 40 congressional staff to NIBIB and provides an overview of the institute and its mission.

Bin He explains a brain mapping technique he developed to help physicians plan for surgery in patients with epilepsy and to better understand this disease.

Bin He and Abbas Sohrabpour of Carnegie Mellon University demonstrated a brain mapping technique to congressional staff visiting NIBIB. Using a modified imaging technique that collects data from an EEG, this approach could also be used to help people who are paralyzed controlled a robotic arm.

Kaitlyn Sadtler of NIBIB’s Intramural Research Program sets up a demonstration to showcase her lab’s research on immunoengineering. The demonstration showed how engineered tissues imbedded in a gel can be protected from an immune response that tries to attack the tissue after it is transplanted.

Kaitlyn Sadtler demonstrates to congressional staff how she creates protective gels to program an immune response that promotes tissue integration and growth after engineered tissues are transplanted.

Congressional staff take a close-up look at phantom tissue and gels created by NIBIB’s Kaitlyn Sadtler.

Wilbur Lam and Robert Mannino of Georgia Tech and Emory University demonstrated an app they developed that accurately measures hemoglobin levels by imaging the fingernails. Monitoring hemoglobin levels is critical for management of anemia and currently requires going to a clinic for a blood test.

Participants try out an app developed by researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University that measures hemoglobin by taking an image of the fingernails.

Congressional staff try out an app developed by NIBIB grantees that measures hemoglobin in the fingernails. A thumbs up indicates this participant does not have anemia.

NIBIB Director Dr. Bruce Tromberg helps demonstrate an optical imaging system developed to noninvasively image peripheral nerves. Guillermo Monroy helps guide Dr. Tromberg’s hand while Daniel Hammer observes the image on the screen.

A team of researchers from the FDA and Massachusetts General Hospital with NIBIB Director Bruce Tromberg showcased an optical imaging device that can be used to take images of nerves just below the surface of the skin. Pictured from L-R: Mohsen Erfanzadeh, Guillermo Monroy, Srikanth Vasudevan, Bruce Tromberg, Kasey Kwong , Michael Tao, and Daniel Hammer.

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland demonstrated how they use 3D printers to create materials used to grow cells, tissues, and larger living systems so they can study how cells interact and be designed for various medical applications.

Congressional staff get to see and hold 3D printed phantom tissues while learning how this process can be used to deliver drugs to a precise location, or build implants to help repair damaged tissue, among other applications.

Forty congressional staff visited NIBIB to learn about the institute and the types of research NIBIB supports by viewing and participating in technology demonstrations.

NIBIB Director Bruce Tromberg poses with the NIBIB grantees participating in the technology demonstrations for congressional staff visiting NIBIB. Front row L-R: Sara Van Belleghem, Bhushan Mahadik, Abbas Sohrabpour, Wilbur Lam, Robert Mannino. Back row L-R: John Fisher, Srikanth Vasudevan, Mohsen Erfanzadeh, Guillermo Monroy, Bruce Tromberg, Michael Tao, Kasey Kwong, Daniel Hammer, Bin He, Kaitlyn Sadtler, and Guang Yang.