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Ananthan Nambiar selected as newest recipient of Technology-Based Healthcare Fellowship

pace@illinois.edu (Hannah Wirth) — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 07:15:00 CDT

The Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance (Alliance) is pleased to announce Ananthan Nambiar as the newest recipient of the Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare. The fellowship provides two years of support for graduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic researchers and clinicians on a translational research project to develop new technologies and clinical tools aimed at advancing individualized medicine.

Ananthan Nambiar is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Department of Bioengineering at Illinois, working on machine learning for computational biology. He is experienced with deep learning and language models for biological sequences (both protein and DNA), machine learning for microbiome data, and graph neural networks. Nambiar’s expertise in these areas will allow him to make significant contributions to the Tapestry DNA Sequencing Research Study, which collects and stores genomic data as a part of electronic health records for research participants at Mayo Clinic.

The Project

Nambiar’s research project will focus on developing a deep learning algorithm to predict the occurrence and risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients and investigate how the impact of dietary interventions on NAFLD patients can be evaluated using whole exome sequencing data. Nambiar’s research will be supervised by both Illinois and Mayo Clinic advisors from May 2024 through May 2026.

At Illinois, Nambiar will work with advisors Sergei Maslov, Professor of Bioengineering and Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Modeling, and Sharon Donovan, Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative.

At Mayo Clinic, Nambiar will work with advisors Konstantinos Lazaridis, Professor of Medicine and Executive Director of the Center for Individualized Medicine, and Arjun Athreya, Principal Data Scientist and Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Psychology. Athreya is an Illinois Electrical & Computer Engineering alum and one of the first recipients of this fellowship.

As a Fellow for Technology-Based Healthcare, Nambiar will receive a $40,000 stipend and coverage of tuition and select fees, spending one year on-site at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and one year at Illinois.

Potential outcomes

Nambiar’s research project aims to equip healthcare providers with a valuable tool for early diagnosis and risk assessment of NAFLD. The ability to predict the effects of dietary interventions on NAFLD patients would allow clinicians to tailor interventions and treatments to individual patients.

“This project exemplifies the synergy between the fields of computational biology, nutrition, and clinical medicine,” Nambiar said. “Such a collaboration is essential to the success of this endeavor, ensuring that the developed algorithms are not only scientifically robust, but also clinically applicable.”

Fellowship opportunities

The Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare is focused on high performance computing, big data, software development, imaging, nanotechnology, point-of-care diagnostics, bioinformatics, systems biology, genomics, and tissue engineering, while creating a pathway for Illinois students to investigate post-graduation employment opportunities at Mayo Clinic. Including Nambiar, the Alliance has supported 14 Illinois graduate students since 2016.

Subscribe to the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance mailing list to receive announcements about the fellowship, as well as information for researchers about educational and networking opportunities, upcoming events and deadlines, and the latest news from this powerful collaboration that is working to solve today’s health challenges.

Meet the nine Illinois students selected as 2024 Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

pace@illinois.edu (Amy Clay-Moore) — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:15:00 CDT

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites around 180 undergraduates from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Sponsored by the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, this 10-week program gives undergraduates a chance to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. Students work in the laboratories of Mayo Clinic faculty on small research projects or as part of ongoing investigations, attend weekly seminars, and get to test their inclinations toward a career in biomedical research.

As part of our longstanding collaboration, Mayo Clinic reserves seven spots each year for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students who are chosen by the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance pre-selection committee. Because students are selected for their innovative excellence, often more than seven U. of I. students are invited to participate in this prestigious undergraduate fellowship. This year, we are proud to announce that nine Illinois students will be participating in the SURF program!

The students in this cohort bring a variety of experiences and credentials to the table. Many of the students are already engaged in cutting-edge biomedical research here at Illinois. Others are working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and to address needs like housing and access to resources. We also have a couple of musicians in the cohort!

We look forward to seeing all that these students accomplish with the combined knowledge and experience gained from their time at two world-class research institutions. We invite you to join us to learn more about the fellows' research experiences during a poster session at the Beckman Institute in September. Subscribe to the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance mailing list for updates on educational opportunities and an invitation to the fall poster session.

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Matt Beard (he/him) is in the Integrative Biology Honors program with minors in chemistry and bioengineering. He is also a James Scholar, Legacy Scholar, and a We CU Community-Engaged Scholar. Matt currently works in the lab of Illinois Entomology Professor Brian Allan on research to analyze the transmission dynamics of vector-borne diseases across rural and urban settings. He is also actively involved in the Illinois Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and the Cancer Scholars Program. This summer, Matt will be working with Dr. Evanthia Galanis at Mayo Clinic on the development and testing of a vesicular stomatitis virus-based vaccine against the La Crosse virus. He plans to pursue a doctorate in bioengineering with a focus on using genetically modified organisms to develop pharmaceuticals.

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Divya Bendigeri (she/her) is a James Scholar majoring in bioengineering with a minor in computer science. Divya is involved in the Biomedical Engineering Society as well as the Society of Women Engineers, where she will take a leadership role next academic year. At Mayo Clinic, Divya will be working with Dr. Matthew Urban to study how measurements of elastic and viscoelastic mechanical properties acquired with noninvasive ultrasound shear wave elastography might be used to relate to features from protocol biopsies in kidney transplants. Divya is interested in biomechanics and computational biology. She plans to pursue graduate education in the fields of bioinstrumentation or biomechanics.

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Jack Carlton (he/him) is pursuing a degree in animal sciences. Jack works in the lab of Illinois Professor Matthew B. Wheeler on regenerative medicine research focused on the effects of strontium concentration on osteogenic differentiation potential of adipose-derived stem cells. Jack is also a volunteer at the Wildlife Medical Clinic at Illinois and serves as a Pre-Health Ambassador at the Career Center. Jack’s Mayo Clinic mentor will be Dr. Douglas G. Brownfield, whose research focuses on using generative medicine to improve pulmonary disease. Jack plans to pursue an MD-PhD so that he can split his time between treating patients and researching the applications of regenerative medicine.

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Alexander Chang (he/him) is studying bioengineering with a minor in music. He works in the Mobility and Fall Prevention Laboratory (MFPRL) with Professor Manuel Hernandez, focusing on investigating tremor data collected by wearable accelerometers on people with Parkinson's disease. Alexander is actively involved in the Biomedical Engineering Society as a workshop coordinator and a member of the Engineering Open House committee. At Mayo Clinic, Alexander will work with Dr. Ahad M Siddiqui, whose research focuses on ways of regulating the immune system to help promote regeneration of the nervous system. Alex plans to pursue an MD-PhD and focus on finding new treatments for neuromuscular conditions like Parkinson's disease and dystonia.

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Yasmine Khan (she/they) is a James Scholar and Chancellor’s Scholar studying bioengineering with a minor in chemistry. At Illinois, she works in the lab of Professor Catherine Best-Popescu to develop a machine-learning algorithm to segment and quantify the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment. Outside of the lab, Yasmine enjoys songwriting and playing guitar. At Mayo Clinic, they will be working in the Neurovascular Research Laboratory with Dr. Ram Kadirvel. Yasmine plans to pursue a PhD in bioengineering with a focus on bioartificial tissues and xenotransplantation.

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Esha Kulkarni (she/her) is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering. She works in the lab of Illinois Professor Auinash Kalsotra on a project characterizing Epithelial Splicing Regulatory Protein 2 (ESRP2) in the context of drug induced acute liver injury. Esha also serves as a student representative on the Grainger College of Engineering's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. At Mayo Clinic, she will be working with Dr. Elizabeth Ann L. Enninga to better understand the role that paternity plays on maternal immune responses. Esha plans to pursue a doctorate in bioengineering and hopes to address women's health issues with research in immunoengineering or microfluidics.

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Delaney Marringa (she/her) is a James Scholar studying mechanical engineering with a minor in biomolecular engineering. At Illinois, Delaney works in the lab of Professor Brendan Harley where they are examining how stem cells interact within their bone marrow microenvironment. Delaney is also involved in Women in Mechanical Science and Engineering and serves as a Women in Engineering Advisory Board Liaison. Delaney’s Mayo Clinic mentor will be Dr. Maryam Rettmann whose work focuses on image-guided interventions in cardiovascular medicine. Delaney plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering.

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Rene Mohammadi (she/her) is studying mechanical engineering. She works in the lab of Professor Brendan Harley on a project using 3D bioprinting methods to develop hydrogel-based models of endometriosis lesion etiology and progression. Rene is president of the Illinois chapter of the Engineers in Action Bridge Program and serves as a Mechanical Engineering Learning Assistant for the Grainger College of Engineering’s First Year Experience. At Mayo Clinic, she will be working with Dr. Marina Walther-Antonio on research using microbiome signatures to predict and intervene in gynecologic cancers prior to the development of malignancy. Rene's goal is to become a research professor in bioengineering, contributing to groundbreaking advancements in women's health and microbiology.

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Varshini Murugesh (she/her) is a James Scholar, Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar, and a Filler Scholar majoring in bioengineering and minoring in chemistry. As an Illinois student, she works in the Chemical Imaging and Structures Laboratory under Professor and Cancer Center at Illinois Director Rohit Bhargava, using Fourier-transform infrared imaging in the context of digital histopathology and tracking muscle differentiation. Varshini is a chemistry teaching assistant, and a member of the Cancer Scholars Program. She is interested in using clinical and translational science to directly treat and prevent disease. This will be Varshini’s second year in the Mayo Clinic SURF program, where she will return to the Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory under Dr. Nagarajan Kannan. As a 2024 SURF, she will work with single-cell RNA sequencing to understand potential fetal microchimerism in female mammary tissue.

Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance welcomes new Technology-Based Healthcare Fellow

pace@illinois.edu (Amy Clay-Moore) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:30:00 CST

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The Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance is pleased to introduce the latest recipient of the Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare.

Yurui Cao, a doctoral student in the University of Illinois Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, is working with Illinois advisor Ravishankar (Ravi) K. Iyer, PhD, and Mayo Clinic advisor Gregory Worrel, MD, PhD to develop machine learning tools for understanding the mechanisms underlying brain stimulation and its interaction with epilepsy and behavior.

Now in its eighth year, the Technology-Based Healthcare Fellowship program provides a unique opportunity for Illinois graduate students to work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic researchers and clinicians on a translational research project aimed at developing new technologies and clinical tools. To get the most from the experience, fellows are encouraged to spend one year at Illinois and one year at Mayo Clinic. So far, the program has supported thirteen fellows, including Cao.

This unique fellowship program also creates pathways for current Illinois graduate students to investigate post-graduation employment opportunities at the Mayo Clinic, as in the case of Illinois alumnus Dr. Arjun Athreya.

Cao joins three other current Technology-Based Healthcare Fellows working with the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance: Chang Hu, a doctoral candidate in electrical and computer engineering and Muhammad Fayyaz, Ph.D., and Neeraj Wagh, M.S., doctoral candidates in the Department of Bioengineering. Read more about their mentors and research projects.

Introducing the ten Illinois undergrads selected as 2023 Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

pace@illinois.edu (Hannah Wirth) — Thu, 04 May 2023 14:30:00 CDT

Every year, Mayo Clinic hosts approximately 180 undergraduates from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Sponsored by the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, this 10-week program provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. Students conduct research in the laboratories of Mayo Clinic faculty on small projects or as part of ongoing investigations, attend weekly seminars, and test their inclinations toward a career in biomedical research.

As part of our longstanding collaboration, Mayo Clinic reserves seven spots each year for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students who are chosen by the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance pre-selection committee. Applicants are selected for their innovative excellence, and often more than seven Illinois students are invited to participate in this prestigious undergraduate fellowship. This year, we are proud to announce that 10 Illinois students will participate in the SURF program!

We look forward to seeing what these students can accomplish with the combined knowledge and experience gained from their time at two world-class research institutions. We invite you to join us to learn more about the fellows' research experiences at a poster session at the Beckman Institute in September. Subscribe to the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance mailing list for updates on educational opportunities and an invitation to the fall poster session.

Meet the 2023 Illinois SURF cohort

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MILICA BARAC (she/her) is a James Scholar majoring in bioengineering at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she works in Prof. Andrew Smith’s lab investigating the anti-inflammatory effect of drug combinations in macrophages. In her free time, Milica enjoys figure skating and volunteering. She hopes to pursue a career that provides the opportunity to understand how lifestyle factors contribute to the development of chronic inflammatory diseases and how wearable technologies can be used to assist in the development of predictive modeling. Milica previously participated in the program as part of the 2022 SURF cohort under Dr. Arjun Athreya’s mentorship. As a 2023 SURF, she will work in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Mayo Clinic with Dr. Athreya to analyze wearable device data to see if physiological markers can be used to predict certain mental health outcomes.

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KATERINA BAXTER (she/her) is a James Scholar majoring in bioengineering and minoring in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she is involved in research with the Biophotonics Imaging Laboratory under Prof. Stephen Boppart working on imaging cancer cells and their extracellular vesicles in response to radiation treatment. Katerina is involved in the Biomedical Engineering Society at UIUC and has participated in Engineering Open House projects through the tech committee. These projects included anatomical 3D printing and an EMG demonstration, where she presented to younger students and community members. She is also a member of the Cancer Scholars Program, which brings together students from different majors to explore areas of cancer research. As a 2023 SURF, Katerina will be doing research under Dr. Richard Ehman in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physiology at Mayo Clinic, where research focuses on medical imaging, specifically MRI, and how it can be used for medical diagnosis of different conditions.

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DAJANA DUCI (she/her) is majoring in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she is working under Dr. Aaron T. Anderson on her current project to evaluate quantitative methods for neuroimaging to improve identification of risk factors for post traumatic epilepsy, which will be her senior thesis. Dajana is the membership director of the Deutschklub at Illinois, where she uses creative ways to generate DKlub membership and aid in fostering student connections. She is currently a research assistant for the Champaign-Urbana Population Study (CUPS), a community study collaboration between Carle Health and the University of Illinois to build a brain imaging dataset that will be used to strengthen diagnostic predictions and identify novel features. In Summer 2022, Dajana received the Carle Neuroscience Institute Undergraduate Research Award, which allowed her to conduct independent research alongside engineers and physicians to realize the full diagnostic potential of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). She aims to become a physician scientist in neurology. As a 2023 SURF, Dajana will work in the lab of Dr. Marissa J. Schafer at Mayo Clinic studying the influence of sex hormones on brain aging and senescence.

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ALICIA KIM (she/her) is a James Scholar majoring in bioengineering and minoring in psychology at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she works in the laboratory of Prof. Rashid Bashir, where her research involves using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and microfluidic devices to detect different bacteria and viruses, including Hepatitis A, Influenza, and HIV. At the 2023 Engineering Open House, Alicia co-led an exhibit called Epi-Push, where her team developed a prototype for a cost-effective and user-friendly epinephrine auto-injector, winning the Distinguished Biomedical Application award and the opportunity to pitch to visitors of all ages. She is a workshop coordinator for the Biomedical Engineering Society at UIUC, where she helps organize workshops that teach bioengineers skills such as reading research papers and using CAD software. Alicia hopes to pursue an MD-PhD with a focus in obstetrics and gynecology to conduct research promoting developments in women's health and maternal care. As a 2023 SURF, Alicia will work in Dr. Elina Jerschow’s lab at Mayo Clinic, where she will be using techniques such as ELISA to investigate the causes of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), an inflammatory disorder of the sinuses and lungs.

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JONATHAN LOUIS (he/him) is a James Scholar majoring in bioengineering and minoring in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, he works in the laboratory of Prof. Patrick Sweeney on data analysis, such as post-processing for fiber photometry signaling, FED3 feeding experimentation, and single-nucleus RNA sequencing methodology, which primarily involves creating analysis pipelines in MATLAB and R programming languages. Jonathan is a tutor in the Center for Academic Resources in Engineering (CARE), where he is responsible for the typical calculus sequence, differential equations, general chemistry and physics, and freshman through junior-level electrical engineering classes. He is Vice President of the Cancer Center at Illinois Student Organization, which serves to educate undergraduate students on groundbreaking cancer research, connect with alumni working in biotechnology and medicine, and connect incoming freshmen classes to research early on in their undergraduate careers. Jonathan hopes to acquire a PhD in bioengineering or electrical engineering, working on nanotechnology and medicine, with the goal of working primarily in immunoengineering or developing novel imaging technologies for early detection methods for cancer, infectious disease, or neurological conditions. As a 2023 SURF, Jonathan will work with Dr. Connie Chang at Mayo Clinic, where his project will be focused on creating a novel method for single-cell sequencing of influenza A infections using drop-based microfluidics, a technology that involves creating thousands of barcoded hydrogel beads to perform next generation sequencing of viral populations at the single cell level.

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VARSHINI MURUGESH (she/her) is a James Scholar and Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar majoring in bioengineering and minoring in chemistry at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she works in the Chemical Imaging and Structures Laboratory under Professor and Cancer Center at Illinois Director Rohit Bhargava on a digital histopathology project to train machine learning models on Fourier-transform infrared datasets to distinguish between tissue subtypes and diagnose cancer. Varshini is a Chemistry 103 Teaching Assistant, and a member of the Cancer Scholars Program. She is interested in pursuing a PhD in computational biology, where she hopes to use machine learning to model gene expression and regulation, with the long-term goal of working in translational bioinformatics to directly treat and prevent disease. As a 2023 SURF, Varshini will work in the Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory under Dr. Nagarajan Kannan at Mayo Clinic to investigate the effect of gut microbiota on the metastatic route of certain clonal types of cancer using a computational pipeline.

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NEHA RAMACHANDRAN (she/her) is a James Scholar majoring in molecular and cellular biology and minoring in Spanish and chemistry at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she works under Prof. Milan Bagchi to conduct research elucidating molecular mechanisms involved in establishing early pregnancy in humans, and under Prof. Hillary Klonoff-Cohen to conduct research identifying prognostic indicators of live birth for cancer patients undergoing fertility preservation. Neha is a member of the initial cohort of the LAS Global Leaders Program, which provides domestic and international students real-world practice in problem-solving, cross-cultural communication, and organizational support through human centered design framework projects. In addition to her research experience at Illinois, Neha is passionate about implementing research in the form of accessible health care. She is the Director of the case management team at Avicenna Community Health Center and a volunteer at Crisis Nursery. Neha’s research experiences at Illinois combined with her work in community health organizations have directed her interests to pursue a career allowing a simultaneous focus on clinical and research aspects of female reproductive biology. As a 2023 SURF, Neha will work with Mayo Clinic Evidence-Based Practice Research Program lead Dr. Hassan Murad on a project to conduct clinical systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

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WALKER RICKORD (he/him) is a James Scholar seeking a dual degree in bioengineering and psychology and a minor in computer science at the University of Illinois. He has worked under Prof. Paul Jensen to apply a neural network to select the most efficient method of solving a biological optimization problem, which designs randomized DNA sequences free of restriction enzyme recognition sites. Within Illinois Medical Advancements through Design and Engineering (i-MADE), Walker served as the Vice President of Technological Affairs and assisted with the execution of community-based biomedical projects, technical workshops, and recruitment efforts; and as Philanthropy Chair for Phi Gamma Nu, organized more than 200 service hours of opportunities for members and volunteered for local organizations. He aims to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering with a concentration in bioinformatics with aspirations to use artificial intelligence within biomedical data to transform and individualize rare disease diagnosis and treatment. As a 2023 SURF, Walker will work with Dr. Hakan Ceylan at Mayo Clinic to overcome roadblocks in cell therapies, targeted delivery, and tissue engineering by applying computational techniques to biomedical imaging responsible for directing medical microbots.

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MEGAN ZHOU (she/her) is a majoring in bioengineering at the University of Illinois. As an Illinois student, she works in the laboratory of Prof. Huimin Zhao under postdoctoral fellow Guangde Jiang exploring novel enzymatic functions to synthesize drug precursors with a greener, more sustainable, and more efficient reaction than traditional chemical methods. Megan represented Illinois in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition last semester on a project addressing the issue of nitrate pollution in waterways by creating a nitrate capture system made of bacterial extracellular matrix proteins. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing with members of the Champaign-Urbana community and has competed in multiple bouldering competitions. Megan hopes to pursue a PhD and secure an R&D position or work in a National Laboratory researching disease mechanisms to design novel therapeutics or treatment methods. As a 2023 SURF, Megan will work in the Cancer Epigenetics and Functional Genomics Laboratory under Dr. Haojie Huang at Mayo Clinic to study how genetic and epigenetic alterations lead to prostate cancer in the hopes in identifying targets for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

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ROY ZHOU (he/him) is a Chancellor’s Scholar majoring in bioengineering and minoring in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois with career plans to become a Medical researcher. As a 2023 SURF, Roy will work with Dr. Su-Youne Chang at Mayo Clinic to improve the therapeutic efficacy of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) based upon neurobiological research with a focus on individualizing treatment paradigms through convergent physiology, neurochemistry, and neuroimaging.

Improving AI models for better patient care

alliance@mayoillinois.org (Mayo Clinic and Illinois Alliance) — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:15:00 CST

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are exploding in popularity in fields ranging from art to science and everything in between—bioengineering included. While these tools have the potential to bring about significant improvements in healthcare, the systems aren’t perfect. How can we identify when machine learning and artificial intelligence are suggesting solutions that aren’t effective in the real world?

Meet our Technology-Based Healthcare Research Fellows

alliance@mayoillinois.org (Amy Clay-Moore) — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 14:30:00 CDT

The Technology-Based Healthcare Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for Illinois graduate students to work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic researchers and clinicians on a translational research project aimed at developing new technologies and clinical tools. To get the most from the experience, fellows are encouraged to spend one year at Illinois and one year at Mayo Clinic. In January, the Alliance will welcome its twelfth fellow to participate in this unique program.

Meet the current fellows and learn a bit more about the cutting-edge research they are conducting in collaboration with University of Illinois and Mayo Clinic researchers and clinicians.

Mentee to mentor: Bioengineering professor Yoga Varatharajah mentors two students through Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance education programs

bridgetm@illinois.edu (Bridget Melton) — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 15:45:00 CDT

When Yogatheesan (Yoga) Varatharajah, Ph.D., began his Technology-Based Healthcare Fellowship with the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance as a member of the inaugural graduate student cohort, he knew very little about the value of cross-disciplinary collaborations.

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Now a professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois, Varatharajah works to apply Artificial Intelligence solutions to a variety of healthcare problems, showing his students how working across disciplines can have real-world impact. To help John Wei, an Illinois undergraduate in his lab majoring in computer engineering, gain first-hand insight, he recommended Mayo Clinic’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites approximately 180 undergraduate students from across the nation to participate in their SURF program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. As part of the longstanding Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance, Mayo Clinic reserves seven spots each year for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students, who are chosen by a pre-selection committee.

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Wei was selected to work with Dr. Raymond Iezzi at Mayo Clinic in developing a machine learning pipeline for indirect ophthalmoscopy frame selection.

“While conducting research at Mayo Clinic, I could gain clinical insights, work on real clinical data, and test my algorithms with doctors in the clinic,” said Wei. “Prof. Varatharajah helped me with designing algorithms to process indirect ophthalmoscopic images and detect blood vessels and validating them.”

Bridging clinical and technical expertise

Starting in January 2023, Varatharajah will mentor a Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance Technology-Based Healthcare fellow, Neeraj Wagh, the twelfth graduate student to join the Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare program.

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A doctoral candidate in the Department of Bioengineering, Wagh will join ongoing research with Varatharajah and Gregory Worrell, M.D., Ph.D., at Mayo Clinic in developing machine learning tools to predict disease states and treatment response in patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric diseases. This research seeks to improve the moderate success rates of current standards-of-care, providing better treatment decisions and outcomes for epilepsy, stroke, and depression patients.

“My hope is that Neeraj will spend time physically at Mayo to develop a deep understanding of the clinical data, biology behind these diseases, and the perspective of the patients and clinicians,” said Varatharajah. “At the same time, Neeraj will continue to work with myself and others at Illinois and develop machine learning approaches guided by clinical domain knowledge to make substantial progress on solving the problem at hand.”

Launched in 2010, the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance offers a well-established platform for cross-disciplinary collaborations focused on research translation. “I like to think of the UIUC-Mayo collaboration as a yin-yang (technical-clinical) balance,” said Wagh. “Prof. Varatharajah’s lab sits in the middle – bridging the gap between deep technical expertise and unaddressed clinical needs. It is exciting to work with Prof. Varatharajah because he keeps an open mind about new technical ideas while tackling novel and impactful clinical applications.”

To learn more about the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance, including its educational programs, visit mayoillinois.org.

Two Illinois SURF students co-author publications under mentorship of alumnus Arjun Athreya

bridgetm@illinois.edu (Bridget Melton) — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 13:45:00 CDT

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Electrical and Computer Engineering alumnus Arjun Athreya. Ph.D., sometimes feels like he never left the Illinois campus at all.

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Now a professor of pharmacology and psychiatry at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Athreya has mentored two Illinois students through the Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program – Angelina Wilton, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology (2021) and Milica Barac, Bioengineering (2022).

“Hosting Illini is like welcoming family. I enjoy hearing all the new happenings on campus, new lessons they learn, and feel inspired by the Illini passion for excellence in all walks of life,” said Dr. Athreya.

As a 2021 SURF, Wilton worked in Athreya’s lab to work on establishing multi-omic biomarkers of antidepressant response in individuals with a history of suicide attempts. Their work was recently published in Frontiers Pharmacology, with Wilton as the co-first author.

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“I was attracted specifically to Dr. Athreya's work because as an MCB and Psychology major, I hadn't had much exposure to computational methods, yet I was quite interested in genetics/genomics and its relationship with psychiatric disorders,” said Wilton. “Dr. Athreya's work, to me, was a new way of studying this relationship and many others in the field of psychiatry, that could directly affect patients in the clinic and address scientific questions at the same time.”

After completing her undergraduate work, Wilton was welcomed back to Dr. Athreya’s lab and is now a fellow in Mayo Clinic’s Graduate Research Experience Program.

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With a passion for digital health, Barac, a 2022 SURF, became part of an ongoing research project in Dr. Athreya’s lab looking for biomarkers for mental health. Their work is now being prepared for a publication, with Barac as lead author.

“What drew me to Dr. Athreya's lab was his innovative work in mental health, and his interest in creating individualized approaches towards preventing negative mental health outcomes,” said Barac. “Dr. Athreya's passion for integrating technology into healthcare has inspired me to understand how wearables and big data can be used to develop organizational-level approaches to address important issues like occupational burnout.”

Mentee to mentor

“I got lucky as a fellow to have mentors like Drs. Liewei Wang, William Bobo, Rani Kalari, and Richard Weinshilboum who spent hours and days working with me shoulder-to-shoulder. Now, as a mentor, I want to instill that same sense of success if interns put in the effort along with me and my lab. The summer fellowship is all about their goals, and me helping them in their journey,” said Dr. Athreya.

Both Wilton and Barac expressed deep gratitude for Dr. Athreya’s genuine care and student-first mentorship, encouraging them to build relationships and reach their goals. Though the fellowship began in June, Dr. Athreya began working with the fellows as early as February to learn about their ambitions and design a project specific to their strengths and interests. “When we arrived in Rochester, Dr. Athreya had already put in so much thought into our projects and had connected us with other relevant researchers and physicians,” said Barac.

And, their work together has extended beyond the summer fellowship.

“I think the aspect of Dr. Athreya's mentorship that was most impactful for my future was his ability to challenge and empower me with projects that I could take charge of and guide me through my research progress rather than simply direct me through it,” said Wilton. “He puts a lot of trust (along with healthy guidance) in his students, and this I think really helped me to think about my research in a more independent way and begin to generate my own questions.”

For more about the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance and the Illinois SURF pre-selection process, visit mayoillinois.org.

Illinois undergrads share their Mayo Clinic research experience

pace@illinois.edu (Hannah Wirth) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 06:15:00 CDT

At the end of the 2022 program, the fellows shared why they applied to the SURF program, the impact of the experience on their academic or career goals, and advice for future participants in the program. To view photos and learn what the fellows had to say about their summer undergraduate research experience at Mayo Clinic, watch the video.

Introducing the 10 Illinois students selected as Mayo Clinic's 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

pace@illinois.edu (Hannah Wirth) — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:30:00 CDT

Each year, Mayo Clinic invites undergraduates from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. As part of our longstanding collaboration, Mayo Clinic reserves seven spots each year for Illinois students chosen by the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance pre-selection committee. This year, we are proud to announce that 10 Illinois students are headed to Rochester, MN to participate in the 2022 SURF program.

Illinois students explore health care innovation

alliance@mayoillinois.org (Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 05:30:00 CDT

The course is typically open to Mayo Clinic students, physicians, scientists, fellows or residents enrolled in certain programs. Mayo Clinic made the opportunity available to U of I students as part of the Alliance’s effort to explore expanded educational and cocurricular opportunities in entrepreneurship and health care innovation.

Illinois undergraduates get real-world research experience at Mayo Clinic

bridgetm@illinois.edu (Bridget Melton) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 08:00:00 CDT

This year, 11 outstanding Illinois undergraduates participated in the SURF program. The fellows were given the opportunity to present their Mayo Clinic research projects and share their program experiences during a virtual celebration in September.

How SNPs can be used to detect disease pathways

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 08:15:00 CDT

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new computational tool that can identify pathways related to diseases, including breast and prostate cancer, using single-nucleotide polymorphisms. SNPs, which refer to mutations in a person’s DNA, are the most common type of genetic variation among people. The researchers hope that the tool can help them discover new pathways that have been previously overlooked.

Introducing the 11 Illinois students selected as Mayo Clinic's 2021 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows

alliance@mayoillinois.org — Thu, 27 May 2021 16:30:00 CDT

Geology helps map kidney stone formation from tiny to troublesome

alliance@mayoillinois.org (Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance) — Tue, 25 May 2021 07:15:00 CDT

Advanced microscope technology and cutting-edge geological science are giving new perspectives to an old medical mystery: How do kidney stones form, why are some people more susceptible to them and can they be prevented?

Researchers develop new technique to study ‘microcancers’ and screen cancer-fighting drugs

healthinstitute@illinois.edu (Bill Bell, Grainger College of Engineering) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 13:00:00 CDT

Three-dimensional microscale hanging drop arrays are useful in drug discovery, regenerative medicine, stem cell research, and biotechnology.

New computational models to understand colon cancer

healthinstitute@illinois.edu (Ananya Sen, Institute for Genomic Biology) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 13:30:00 CDT

Although the development of secondary cancerous growths, called metastasis, is the primary cause of death in most cancers, the cellular changes that drive it are poorly understood. In a new study, published in Genome Biology, researchers at Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new modeling approach to better understand how tumors become aggressive.

Mayo Clinic algorithm shows potential in individualizing treatment for depression

bridgetm@illinois.edu (Susan Murphy) — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 06:00:00 CST

A computer algorithm developed by researchers within Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign could help clinicians accurately and efficiently predict whether a patient with depression will respond to an antidepressant.

A World in a Grain of Sand: New Discoveries in Kidney Stones

bridgetm@illinois.edu (Colette Gallagher) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 06:00:00 CST

Learn about the fascinating research that uncovered “a world in a grain of sand” with the Mayo Clinic Heritage Film featuring Mayo Clinic and University of Illinois collaborators.

Faced with a pandemic, undergraduate research programs innovate and evolve

pace@illinois.edu (Caitlin Doran) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 06:00:00 CST

Disruptions due to COVID-19 didn't deter undergraduates committed to a summer of research training in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) and Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) at Mayo Clinic. Instead, they learned to thrive in a virtual environment and even presented their scientific posters online. Illinois student Elizabeth Martin presented a poster about her summer research experience, which focused on DNA barcoding.

New research uses signal processing methods and machine learning to better diagnose epilepsy

pace@illinois.edu (IHSI) — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 15:45:00 CDT

Illinois researchers, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, have developed a machine-learning-based approach that uses alpha-rhythm-related features to determine the potential for epilepsy and identify the seizure-generating side of the patient's brain. The results were reported in a paper titled, "Electrophysiological correlates of brain health help diagnose epilepsy and lateralize seizure focus". Yogatheesan Varatharajah, the first author of this paper, was named a finalist in the 2020 Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Student Paper Competition, chosen from over 1000 submissions. Varatharajah is a graduate of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois and will be joining the department of bioengineering as a research faculty this summer.

How Bryan White drove innovation through collaboration

amyclay@illinois.edu (Amy Clay-Moore) — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 13:00:00 CST

After a decade of helping to build the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance into the robust partnership it is today, Director Bryan White will retire on February 29. A few of his colleagues reflected on his incredible impact on individual researchers, on the Alliance as a whole, and on the two partner organizations over the last ten years in this short tribute.

Illinois student earns postdoctoral fellowship after completing an Alliance-sponsored internship

amyclay@illinois.edu (Amy Clay-Moore) — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 13:00:00 CST

After completing a summer internship at Mayo Clinic and earning her PhD in Biological Anthropology from Illinois, Abigail Asangba will join the Mayo Clinic staff as a postdoctoral research associate in January 2020.

Agenda available for Computational, Data, & Digital Approaches to Advance Health

amyclay@illinois.edu (Amy Clay-Moore) — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 14:30:00 CDT

Computational, Data, and Digital Approaches to Advance Health will highlight the expertise at Illinois in the applications to health and medicine of AI, machine learning, deep learning, computational imaging, computational genomics, big data and data analytics, and other computational/digital approaches.

2019 SURF Experience: Danielle Yee

amyclay@illinois.edu (Amy Clay-Moore) — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 12:30:00 CDT

Danielle Yee was among seven of Illinois' brightest undergraduates who participated in Mayo Clinic’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) this past summer. The Alliance's commitment to this educational program continues to be a popular, competitive opportunity for Illinois students.