Temple Health and Bioscience District Internships

Dr. Jack Hart introduced two Summer 2013 interns who came from Baylor University.  They were Alex Kimbrough, Senior at Baylor and upcoming medical student, and Catherine Howard, Senior at Baylor and incoming Freshman at Texas Tech Medical School.  They spoke about their summer research projects.

Alex discussed an unknown operating room threat, fires.  These fires are created by a combination of oxygen from the anesthesia, laser or ESU heat, and fuel such as drapes, clothing, hair, etc.  They call this the Fire Triad.  His research team built a prototype that displaces oxygen with carbon dioxide thereby reducing the incidence of fire by 100%.  They currently have a provisional patent and are seeking a long-term utility patent with hopes of finding a company that will build and market the device.

Catherine’s research team studied the relationship between fibroblasts and endothelial cells in interactions within the heart muscle.  The heart is not a single organ.  It is devised of multiple organs that have to communicate between themselves.  Lack of communication between these heart organs creates various types of heart arrhythmias.  There are three ways that the heart communicates, chemically, mechanically, and electrically.  The relationship between the fibroblasts and endothelial cells is intrinsic to heart health.  The fibroblasts and the endothelial cells actually enhance each other.

Rotary members were blown away by these students intelligence and passion.