Nipun D. Patel, M.S.

Senior Research Associate/

Imaging Facility Manager

Phone : 617.667.4603

Fax : 617.667.7175

Email : ndpatel@bidmc.harvard.edu

Background

My basic area of interest involves management of medical imaging projects. My background lies in the area of image processing, programming (Matlab,C and C++) and system administration dealing with OpenVMS.

Image Processing: This term on the medical arena is coined as Medical Imaging. This involves working with different formats of RAW images from GE, Toshiba and other scanners to DICOMs. Additional job functions in the lab involve Data Transmission, Data Importing and Image Analysis (Segmentation, Quantification).

All the above mentioned areas involve heavy programming and mathematics dealing with Windows, Unix and Linux O.S.

My work in the lab also includes

• System Administration of MicroCT Scanners (Scanco Medical,USA) running OpenVMS as well as scripting/programming on the OpenVMS coupled Image Processing using IPL library for handling all the imaging needs.
• Use of Medical Imaging software Analyze (BIR, Mayo Clinic,USA),  C and Matlab programming for handling Visualization, Segmentation and Analysis.
• Training of personnel in the use of imaging related equipment (MicroCT, Analyze etc. )
• Technical support

Some of the projects

Bone Connectivity

• Worked extensively with team of surgeons and mechanical engineers to better understand the structure and mechanical loading environment of trabecular bone to Develop an algorithm that correlated the mechanical properties of samples based on directional connectivity.
• Researched and devised validation methods in the domain of imaging and bone bio-mechanics.

Effects of Multiple Myeloma on Bone Remodeling

• Collaborated with multiple teams from Rheumatology, Gene Profiling and imaging involving surgeons, clinicians and researchers having expertise in varied areas for quantification of bone remodeling
• Implemented protocols for segmentation, visualization and quantification using an evaluation software (Scanco Medical) as well as explored voxel based registration using Analyze (BIR, Mayo Clinic).

Evaluation of Aberrant Micro-architecture of the angioarchictecture by Micro-CT

• Actively participated with a research group in the pathology department to analyze micro-vasculature to characterize vessel growth during angiogenesis.
• Executed high resolution CT scans on mCT 40 (Scanco Medical) to quantify and compare the vascular growth.
• Utilized Analyze 6.0 (BIR, Mayo Clinic) for Tree Analysis of the vessels based on morphological operations.

Recent Publications

Esther Cory, Nipun Patel, Ara Nazarian, Brian Snyder, Mary Bouxsein, Roberto Fajardo. Effect of surrounding tissue on density evaluation via microcomputed tomography. Selected for poster presentation at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego , California , March 2007.

Chigusa Sawamura, Masaya Takahashi, Lovorka Degoricija, Nipun Patel, Naomi Fukai, Brian Snyder. Glycosaminoglycan content of osteoarticular specimens can be measured by micro ct using negatively charged iodinated contrast agent. Selected for poster presentation at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego , California , March 2007

Prashant Bansal, Nipun Patel, Roberto Fajardo, Brian Snyder. Validation of micro-CT image based algorithm to estimate the structural integrity of tissue engineered bone, Selected for poster presentation at the 52^nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Chicago, Illinois, March 2006.

Podium Presentations

Roberto Fajardo, Esther Cory, Nipun Patel, Ara Nazarian,Brian Snyder, Mary Bouxsein. Specimen size and porosity can introduce error into μ ct-based tissue mineral density measurements. Selected for presentation at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego , California , March 2007

Esther Cory, Nipun Patel, Ara Nazarian, Brian Snyder, Mary Bouxsein, Roberto, Fajardo. Effect of surrounding tissue on density evaluation via microcomputed tomography. Selected for small talk at the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego , California , March 2007

Ara Nazarian, Diego Meier, Nipun Patel, Ralph Müller, Brian D. Snyder. Assessment of torsional cancellous bone failure using time-lapsed micro-CT Imaging. Selected for poster presentation at the 52^nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Chicago , Illinois , March 2006.

Darja Marolt, Alexander Augst, Lisa E. Freed, Charu Vepari, Robert Fajardo, Nipun Patel, Martha Gray, Michelle Farley, David Kaplan, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic Large mineralized bone-like constructs grown using human bone marrow stromal cells, silk scaffolds and rotating bioreactors. Selected for presentation at the 52^nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Chicago , Illinois , March 2006.

Publications

Darja Marolt, Alexander Augst, Lisa E. Freed, Charu Vepari, Robert Fajardo, Nipun Patel, Martha Gray, Michelle Farley, David Kaplan, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic Bone and cartilage tissue constructs grown using human bone marrow stromal cells, silk scaffolds and rotating bioreactors. Biomaterials. 2006 Dec; 27(36):6138-49. Epub 2006 Aug 8