The Mechanics of Nutrition Grant From Gates Foundation Will Help Philip LeDuc Study Food Improvements
Professor Philip LeDuc has won an extremely competitive Grand Chal- lenges Explorations Award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that will help improve nutrition in underdeveloped countries. Working with research assistant Mary Beth Wilson—a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineer- ing—LeDuc will study the cellular mechanics of certain leafy vegeta- bles in order to make them more palatable to malnourished infants and children. “We are studying how to alter a plant’s cellular and molecular structures to optimize release of nutrients during digestion,” explains LeDuc. “The idea originated when we became interested in how structural mechanics affects the taste of different foods. We then explored how we could apply this idea in an innovative way to tackle global chal- lenges—especially the health of children in poor regions of the world.”
Mary Beth Wilson and Philip LeDuc
like African leafy vegetables could significantly improve infant and child nutrition in developing countries. “We have chosen to focus initially on amaranth, a plant indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa, due to its high content of pro-vitamin A and other micronutrients. We hope that inte- grating amaranth leaves into feeding strategies as infants transition from breast milk to solid foods could contribute to a reduction in vitamin
Both LeDuc and Wilson believe that generating wide- spread acceptance and consumption of nutrient-rich plants
A deficiency,” says Wilson. This deficiency is the greatest single cause of blindness in developing nations. According to LeDuc, the team’s work involves signifi- cantly changing the palatability of the end product. “These African leafy vegetables are perceived as ‘poor man’s food,’ and despite their nutritional value they have a bitter taste,” he says. “We aim to change both taste and perception by reengineering the plant’s cellular structure—using traditional principles of cell mechanics that have been used for decades in understanding diseases such as cancer.”•
Envisioning a Better Outcome Jessica Zhang Develops 4-D Diagnostic Tools for Lung Cancer
Jessica Zhang
Assistant Professor Jessica Zhang has developed exciting new software tools that will allow medical professionals to detect lung cancer at an earlier stage—as well as treat tumors with greater accuracy. Her work, which allows technicians to visualize tissues accurately despite natural organ motion, will prove significant for about 221,130 Americans diagnosed with lung
and bronchus cancer each year. Working in the Computational Bio-Modeling Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhang has de- veloped new software-based modeling tools that will not only speed lung cancer diagnosis, but also support more accurate radiation therapy by targeting very specific areas of tissue. “Our new computational modeling framework provides technicians with an image-based, geometric way of identify- ing and tracking lung cancer tumors through multiple layers of
tissue—and through natural variations and movements caused by breathing,” says Zhang. “While our software tools are still in the research and development stage, ultimately we hope to see them deployed in clinical treatment settings— where they should have a positive impact on patient outcomes.” Because effective cancer treatment requires complete destruction of cancerous cells—while preserving normal organ function and surrounding tissues—Zhang’s ground-breaking 4-D modeling tools are expected to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for many patients. “Our modeling tools now give technicians the ability to target very specific areas of the lung with radiation despite normal tis- sue movements. The old method of blasting a large segment of the lung with radiation has caused many treatment-related toxicities,” Zhang points out. “Our new 4-D modeling approach should reduce these toxicities by focusing radiation more specifically on cancerous cells.”•
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