Drexel University Events Calendar

Art Exhibition: Errors and Omissions (11/17/2021 - 2/28/2022)

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Start Date:	11/17/2021
End Date:	2/28/2022	End Time:	Midnight

Errors and Omissions surveys Linda Bond's work over these 20 years of U.S. conflict, both foreign and domestic, since September 11, 2001. In 15 bodies of work and over 70 pieces, Bond chronicles wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Kavanaugh hearings, the Syrian refugee crisis, drone warfare, the 2nd amendment and gun violence... the list goes on. While her content is inherently provocative, she does not force her audience to come to a particular decision. Rather, she uses her studio practice as a method to understand these conflicts on a personal level. She spends several months on each piece, often years on series that document US history as it develops in real-time. At its core, each piece is a long-form meditation, a physical manifestation of Bond’s attempts to understand her personal relationship to the major events of our time. The resulting message is not any discovery or opinion the artist uncovers while engaging with the source material; the message is to engage with the information for yourself. The fact that Bond’s work is incredibly beautiful helps accomplish this goal. The sensitivity of her mark-making and craftsmanship invites the viewer to linger on subjects that may otherwise alienate or repulse. Errors and Omissions provides a recent historical context from which we can explore and engage with our current political placement. It asks us again the classic questions of humanity- who are we, where did we come from, where are we going– and am I OK with it?

Ultrasound-Sensitive Microbubble Approaches for Overcoming Tumor Hypoxia in Head and Neck SCC (2/4/2022 - 2/22/2022)

Fri, 4 Feb 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Start Date:	2/4/2022	Start Time:	12:00 PM
End Date:	2/22/2022	End Time:	2:00 AM

BIOMED PhD Research Proposal

Title:
Ultrasound-Sensitive Microbubble Approaches for Overcoming Tumor Hypoxia in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)

Speaker:
Quezia Lacerda, PhD Candidate
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University

Advisors:
John R. Eisenbrey, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Radiology
Thomas Jefferson University

Margaret A. Wheatley, PhD
John M. Reid Professor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University

Abstract:
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. The most common malignancies of head and neck cancer arise in the mucosal epithelium in the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. HNSCC of the oral cavity is generally treated with surgical resection, followed by radiation or chemotherapy. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of HNSCC are hypoxic (oxygen-deficient), reducing the efficacy of radiation therapy leading to poor clinical outcomes. Several methods of overcoming tumor hypoxia prior to radiation therapy have been explored but were proven ineffective. Such approaches were breathing hyperbaric oxygen, allosteric hemoglobin modifiers, hypoxia activated prodrugs and fluorocarbons (FCs). For this reason, systemic agents have been investigated for targeting the tumor’s metabolic respiration thus decreasing both growth and O2 consumption. Lonidamine (LND) has been widely explored due to its ability to target metabolic glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration in tumors. However, clinical translation has stalled due to poor bioavailability after oral administration.

Ultrasound-sensitive microbubbles containing oxygen have been proposed as a mechanism of locally overcoming tumor hypoxia prior to radiotherapy. An important property of microbubbles is ultrasound-triggered cavitation, which can take the form of either stable or inertial cavitation which bursts the bubbles. Our group demonstrated the feasibility of this approach in vivo with breast tumor xenografts using surfactant-shelled microbubbles (SE61O2) to locally release O2 while continuously monitoring tumor partial oxygen pressure (pO2). Intratumoral oxygen pressure was elevated by 19.7 ±9.1, which improved the efficacy of radiation therapy dramatically (3-4X improvement). Duration of oxygenation by this platform is limited (2-3 minutes) making clinical translation difficult. The scientific premise of this work is that we can overcome the translational limitations of our group’s current O2 microbubble platform by including the therapeutic agent LND to target cellular respiration in tumors. We will also validate the potential of this combined approach for HNSCC treatment in a clinically relevant setting. Specifically, we will encapsulate LND within the hydrophobic portion of the surfactant shell in the hopes that treatment could be further augmented with co-delivery of LND along with oxygen. We hypothesize that localized, ultrasound-directed delivery of these microbubbles will demonstrate similar levels of increased oxygenation to our previous designs, and that the addition of LND will prolong oxygenation time, enabling sufficient time for CT guided radiotherapy.

The proposed project aims to develop a minimally invasive and clinically translatable method for overcoming tumor hypoxia prior to radiotherapy. We expect this platform will improve tumoral response to radiotherapy and potentially reduce the frequency of recurrence and metastasis of HNSCC and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Through March 2022: Seat at the Table Exhibition (2/19/2022)

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Start Date:	2/19/2022	Start Time:	10:00 AM
End Date:	2/19/2022	End Time:	6:00 PM

Women 100, a program of Vision Forward, is hosting "Seat at the Table," an exhibition that commemorates the 19th Amendment — establishing women’s right to vote — and asks 100 years later, “Where are we now?” Visitors will experience the current status of gender equality in the U.S. through 3D infographic furniture.

Seat at the Table will be presented in the lobby daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through March 2022. The multimedia segment of the exhibition is available online. In addition, an educator's guide is available for download for teachers, youth leaders and parents.

Learn more about Seat at the Table

Gateway to the University: The Collections at Drexel (2/19/2022)

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Start Date:	2/19/2022	Start Time:	11:00 AM
End Date:	2/19/2022	End Time:	4:00 PM

Exhibition from June 30, 2022 through December 23, 2022. The Peck Gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11-4pm

Frank Furness’ 1876 Centennial National Bank, located at the crossroads of Market and 32nd Street, marks the gateway to the Drexel University campus. Now the Paul Peck Alumni Center, it is home to a newly renovated gallery space designed to showcase Drexel’s rich and diverse collections. These collections, which embody the interdisciplinary collaborative spirit of Drexel academics mark Drexel as one of the great collecting universities in the United States.

Though widely known for innovation, entrepreneurship and civic engagement, Drexel has been a serious collecting institution from its very inception in 1891. In fact, it was the University’s forward thinking founder AJ Drexel, who provided the inspiration and resources to establish The Drexel Collection. The original collection grew and evolved over the years and now the University holds a series of impressive collections including the internationally renowned Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, The Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection as well as The Legacy Center, which documents the role of women in American medicine, and the Archives at Hagerty Library.

The inaugural exhibition in the new gallery, curated by Cara Fry and Derek Gillman, is designed to provide a window into Drexel’s extraordinary collections which range from rare books to couture; from natural science to fine and applied arts. Every piece in the show is a treasure – including a Rittenhouse Orrery clock from 1873, a 1991 James Galanos evening gown, a 450 million year old slab of fossilized trilobites and a 16th century Paracelsus incunabulum. Also highlighted is an 1876 William Morris textile which serves as a fascinating case study for the way in which the objects in the Drexel collections invite interdisciplinary teaching and research and thereby provide historical context and contemporary relevance.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Scholars Share: Conversations on Graduate Student Research (2/19/2022)

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 17:15:00 GMT

Start Date:	2/19/2022	Start Time:	12:15 PM
End Date:	2/19/2022	End Time:	1:15 PM

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the Graduate College welcome the Drexel community to join us for our next Scholars Share: Conversations on Graduate Student Research to hear from current graduate students and postdocs about their Drexel experience and research endeavors moderated by a faculty or professional staff member who will facilitate questions and discussion from the audience.

For more information, including featured speakers, visit the website.

Saturday, February 19, 2022
12:15 - 1:15 p.m. ET
Watch the Livestream [YouTube]

This event will be recorded for later viewing.

Interested in speaking at a future Scholars Share? Sign up here.