The Roy and Diana Vagelos Research Laboratories (Photograph by Felice Macara)
From the Director's Desk
Dr. Peter F. Davies Welcome to the first newsletter from Penn's Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME), established in July 1996 jointly by the School of Medicine (SOM) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) as a Type II institute. Our mission is to stimulate fundamental research at the interface between biomedicine and the engineering/computational sciences that will lead to innovative applications in biomedical research and clinical practice. Thus the IME focus is interdisciplinary "molecular biomedical engineering", an unusual and rapidly developing area of research. From a huge range of possibilities, initial IME emphases are in cardiovascular biology, engineering aspects of gene therapy, neuroengineering, and bioinformatics, the latter through the establishment in July of the new Center for Bioinformatics (p. 4). Similar initiatives in biomaterials and tissue engineering are expected to develop into IME-associated Centers over the next two years.

Following the arrival of the director from the University of Chicago, our first year has seen the recruitment of five outstanding core faculty (Cornell, SUNY Buffalo, MIT, UBC, CalTech); completion of four additional core faculty recruitments is expected by the Spring of Œ98 to create an approximate equal balance of IME appointments to SOM and SEAS departments. The new IME research interests are outlined on pages 2-3. Four existing Penn faculty represent the core of the Center for Bioinformatics. A capable administrative staff has also been hired (box, p. 4). During the start-up period since July Œ96 the six IME faculty have authored more than 50 full publications and made 55 international and national lectures or presentations. Current total research grant funding is $1.4 million with $4.0 million pending. Program grant applications are in development with NIH and NSF, and an initiative to the Whitaker Foundation is underway jointly with the department of Bioengineering. This latter initiative also involves pre- and postdoctoral research centered in the IME.

There are regular interdisciplinary IME seminars (Tuesdays) and chalk talks (Fridays) that are well attended by faculty, postdocs, and students from a variety of backgrounds. Look out for them on the Web and in flyers.

Starting November, most IME activities will be centered in the first floor of the new Vagelos Laboratory building at 34th St. and Smith Walk. The labs are designed to facilitate research that integrates engineering approaches to cell and molecular biology/biochemistry, and include core facilities for tissue culture, molecular biology, radioisotopes, and optical imaging.

Membership of the IME has recently been extended to 15 Penn faculty from SEAS, SOM and SAS who are in active research collaborations with IME faculty. As we become more established, IME Membership will be extended to all faculty with relevant interdisciplinary interests.

We look forward to seeing you at IME events in 1998.

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