Pink City, Radiobiophotonics and Normal Tissue Toxicity- Firewall

 

Pink City, Radiobiophotonics and Normal Tissue Toxicity

 AOCPM- AMPICON 2017-  Mini-Symposia

Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni

 

Association of Medical Physicists of India (AMPI) and Asia Oceania Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (AFOMP),  jointly hosts 17th Asia Oceania Congress of Medical Physics (AOCMP 2017) and 38th Annual Conference of Association of Medical Physicists of India (AMPICON 2017)  at SMS Medical College and Hospitals, Jaipur, “Pink City” from 4th to 7th November 2017.
The theme for the conference is “Advances in Medical Physics: shaping the future of modern healthcare“. 

In response to the invitation, I have organized two mini-symposia at the conference.

1. Radiobiophotonics 

2. Normal Tissue Toxicity- Firewall.

Mini Symposia  on novel emerging topics of Radiological Physics is designed by organizers as part of the conference. The symposiums obviously will cover topics of Radiation Biology, Quality Assurance (QA), Radiation Protection, TG reports, Radiomics of cancer, Molecular Imaging and advanced techniques in diagnostics and therapy.

Radiobiophotonics & Normal Tissue Toxicity.  

Symposium Coordinator & Speaker:  Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni 

Authors: Rao Papineni & Shahid Umar

University of Kansas Medical Center, PXI. Inc, and PACT & Health USA

Visualization via "light" coupled with "ionizing radiation" has made a profound impact both in understanding the disease mechanism and its treatment.  Rapid advances in photonics also aided in bridging the physics and medicine towards the new front in Cancer Radiation Therapy.  This Session brings to forefront "Radiobiophotonics" bringing to fold the rapidly growing fields pertaining to biophotonics in relation to radiobiology and Radiation Therapy.  These fields, Molecular Image Guided Radiation Therapy (MIGRT), X-Ray Luminescence,  Radiobioluminescence, Microscopy, Cherenkov Luminescence and it's role in microdosimetry, metastatic tumor phototherapy, activated nanodelivery and particle therapy beam tracking will be discussed.  The normal tissue toxicity assessment during radiation therapy or Nuclear Accidents using Radiobiophotonics will be elaborated.   Epithelial regeneration model will be used to describe the use of photonics in assessing Normal tissue injury and pharmacological intervention.  Epithelial regeneration is critical for barrier maintenance and organ function after intestinal injury. The intestinal stem cell (ISC) niche provides Wnt, Notch and epidermal growth factor (EGF) signals supporting Lgr5(+) crypt base columnar ISCs for normal epithelial maintenance.  Little is known about the regulation of the ISC compartment after tissue damage. Exposure to high doses of radiation triggers a number of potentially lethal effects. Among the most severe is the gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity syndrome caused by the destruction of the intestinal barrier, resulting in bacterial translocation, systemic bacteremia, sepsis and death.  The pathophysiological downstream events and the search of effective radioprotective agents by us will be highlighted.  Further this symposia will describe the significance of such radiation pharma interventions as effective emergency nuclear countermeasures not only for patients undergoing abdominal irradiation for GI malignancies but to promote survival and delay mortality for victims of radiation exposure and nuclear disasters.

Other faculty at AMPICON 2017:

 International Faculty

http://aocmp-ampicon2017.org/?page_id=3392

 National Faculty

http://aocmp-ampicon2017.org/?page_id=4459

Jaipur “Pink city of India” is most celebrated city of legendary Rajputana, the land of Rajput valour, still retains its beauty and charm despite the process of modernization. It was founded in 1727 AD by one of the great rulers of Kachhawaha clan, the astronomer king Sawai Jai Singh II and still retains its splendid valor.  Jaipur is is the capital city of Rajasthan and Rajasthan is perhaps the most tribally diverse, artistically decorative and architecturally magnificent regal in India. It is the land of royalty with lavish forts and majestic palaces that are apt reminder of a rich and romantic past that speaks of heroism, honor and chivalry. 

 Look forward to meeting friends and Colleagues.   

Papineni Labs are Biomedical Research Labs in Honor of my Father Mr. Papineni Venkateswara Rao.

http://www.radres.org/blogpost/961725/250704/Cancer-Therapy--Radiobiophotonics-with-Rao-Papineni
 

    "Molecular Imaging - Wisdom to See for Maladies to Flee"
                                                                                                                                             Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni

Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni

Professor (Adjunct- assistant)

University of Kansas Medical Center KUMC

USA

Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni is an Adjunct faculty member at University of Kansas Medical Center, and a molecular theragnostics scientist at PXI,  USA. He received his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from University of Hong Kong (British Terr). Dr. Papineni had his early education from University of Madras, where he earned his Bachelors and Master’s Degree. After ten years in Research and Faculty positions at University of Hong Kong and Baylor college of Medicine (USA), he joined Kodak/Carestream Health, USA.  Dr. Papineni has made several inventions and chaired scientific sessions in International Biomedical Meetings and serves on the editorial board of Nanotech and Experimental Pharmacology journals.  As a distinguished scientist, he initiated advanced research programs to study Inflammation and oncology utilizing molecular imaging and nanotechnology based molecular tools.  He recently identified and coined “Radiobioluminescence” a novel X-ray induced radiation phenomena that have immense potential in development of cancer therapeutic strategies.  His lab is instrumental in development of MIGRT  Molecular Image Guided Radiation Therapy technology and utilizing radiobiophotonics and MIGRT in Drug Discovery related to Cancer and radiation medicine.

Pain, Penile Erection, Panacea, in Poison Pillbox.

        Pain, Penile Erection, Panacea, in Poison Pillbox.          

 

Hunting Pain-Relief Drugs at a Marine Snail’s Pace

 This blog includes the recent note published http://www.chennaicitynews.net/news/hunting-pain-relief-drugsat-a-marine-snails-pace-by-dr-rao-v-l-papineni-40945/ and the potential of these cysteine scaffolds as pharma in Pain, Erectile Dysfunction, and aging related diseases.

Two recent news items brought back memories about my post-doctoral days in Baylor College of Medicine two decades ago. One directly associated with Tamilnadu that describes about the Irula Snake Hunters recruited for Python round-up at Miami Everglades https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/01/26/florida-is-deploying-snake-hunters-from-india-to-catch-invasive-pythons/?utm_term=.40fad59a62ad.  The other exciting news that appeared in innumerable news sites is about University of Utah’s finding of “Fish hunting Marine Conus Snail and its venom’s effect in Pain Management.  British Broadcasting Corporation BBC pointed out how the cone snail venom RG1A can be clinically used to treat chronic pain http://www.bbc.com/news/health-39028557.  These toxins can provide treatment with no side effects such as addiction which is common with morphine or other Pain relief drugs.  Globally, the Pain Management drug market is around 60 Billion US Dollars annually.

I started my post-doctoral research career at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, working on these conotoxins.  This was in mid-90’s we made some seminal advances in this field primarily by thinking smarter that the Conus snail, producing modified version of toxin by chemical tinkering and by genetic manipulations using recombinant technologies ( Papineni et. al. J. Biol. Chem. 2002  http://www.jbc.org/content/276/26/23589.long).   The conus snails are found in the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia. The snail feeds on fish by injecting its venom using a harpoon like projectile from its mouth. The fish hunting process is so fast that the word “snail pace” gets a whole new meaning.  A link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcBmMPJrrKk will provide a glimpse of the weaponry, predator-prey mismatch. There are nearly 500 species of snail, and each one produce more than 100 different toxin molecules in its venom. These molecules are peptides, called Conotoxins, and its action in prey is by muscle paralysis.

Those were the exciting days, working with conotoxins, its pharmacology, very rewarding- note, it was a virgin territory.  Each chemical modification I made, and each recombinant toxin generated by

our collaborator in Puerto Rico Dr. Krishna Baksi, started providing tantalizing results.  It was all conotoxin in my life those days… During the finishing stages of the work, I invited Dr. Steen Pedersen, one of my many mentors in my life, for a brooski at BCM’s favorite watering-hole Gingerman.  My neighbor Arun who was there took the opportunity and started complaining to Steen about my incessant conotoxin related harangue during the course of that work.

Back in late 90’s, it was a taboo in academia to think of patents or commercialization. That view on patents rapidly changed by the turn of the century.  A patent on conotoxin was successfully filed in Utah by Dr. Baldomero Olivera.  It was nice to notice that work was duly cited in the USPTO patent. Dr. Olivera is a pioneer in conotoxins establishing a dedicated conotoxin laboratory in 1987. They determined the effect of Omega-conotoxin which specifically blocks neuronal voltage activated Ca⁺⁺ channels and estimated to be 1,000 times more powerful than morphine. The drug was targeted to provide pain relief to patients with HIV and cancer.

Dr. Steen Pedersen and Dr. Rao Papineni at Biophysics Meeting, New Orleans 2000.

Along with Conotoxin, we worked on recombinant cobratoxins looking at ion channel structure-function.  The Miami Everglades Snake Hunters news item again made me look back at our two decade old research work on toxins and ion channel pharmacology.  Romulus Whitaker seen with Irula Snake Hunters is a world renowned herpetologists and founded the Madras Snake Park in my Hometown Madras.  A center, where Rom rehabilitated Irula Tribesmen in developing ant-venom drugs by extracting snake venom.  A haven for future toxin based Pain pharma. Utilizing the progress in Systems Pharmacology the past two decades, at PACT & Health, we are interested in harnessing the power of these cysteine scaffolds in Pain, Erectile Dysfunction, and anti-aging Drug Development.

Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni

Professor (Adjunct- assistant)

University of Kansas Medical Center KUMC

USA

Papineni@graduate.hku.hk

docpapineni@gmail.com

Dr. Rao V. L. Papineni is an Adjunct faculty member at University of Kansas Medical Center, and a molecular theragnostics scientist at PXI, USA. He received his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from University of Hong Kong (British Terr). Dr. Papineni had his early education from University of Madras, where he earned his Bachelors and Master’s Degree. After ten years in Research and Faculty positions at University of Hong Kong and Baylor college of Medicine (USA), he joined Kodak/Carestream Health, USA.  Dr. Papineni has made several inventions and chaired scientific sessions in International Biomedical Meetings and serves on the editorial board of Nanotech and Experimental Pharmacology journals.  As a distinguished scientist, he initiated advanced research programs to study Inflammation and oncology utilizing molecular imaging and nanotechnology based molecular tools.  He recently identified and coined “Radiobioluminescence” a novel X-ray induced radiation phenomena that have immense potential in development of cancer therapeutic strategies.  His lab is instrumental in development of MIGRT  Molecular Image Guided Radiation Therapy technology and utilizing radiobiophotonics and MIGRT in Drug Discovery related to Cancer and radiation medicine.

http://www.chennaicitynews.net/news/hunting-pain-relief-drugsat-a-marine-snails-pace-by-dr-rao-v-l-papineni-40945/

Radiation Cancer Meet- Madras Medley

                 

Cancer Treatment and Normal Tissue protection-  A 7-day jamboree      

 by Dr. Rao Papineni

 

This event (painting) dated some 270 years ago, near the Adyar River, Madras (Current Chennai), India, literally changed the the World-Order, and silently changed the global power quotients that led to the current English-speaking countries domination.  Turning the the clock further down, 2-year short of three centuries ago, money from Madras gifted by Elihu Yale laid the solid foundations of the current United States of America (USA), via Yale University and its products.

Madras, my hometown has its other notoriety- it is one of the place that has the world's most natural background Radiation.
Is this silent dose a boon or bane... it is something being looked at.
As always, excited to head back to one of my 5 hometowns to Deliver an Invited Lecture at the International Conference on Radiation Therapy and Medicine.


The young scientists and students from across the world are going to have a good dose of the Madras Masala-  a mix of talk from oncologists, physicians, immunologists, radiation therapists, pharmacologists, radiobiologists, particle therapy, computational physicists, nano technologists, nuclear medicine, radiologists, space biologists, nuclear protection folks, etc.

As a part of the International Planning Committee for ICRB, really proud of the constellation of experts gathering.  IAEA, ICRP, NCI, NIAID, NIH, AIIMS, Ion Beam, NIRS, CERN, NIH, BARC, are part of the groups represented at the ICRB, IBIBAM and ICRP programs.

The main ICRB conference is followed by IBIBAM  Workshop 

          Joie de vivre

The 7-day meet under Madras natural background radiation umbrella will sure impact the future...  developing young minds, building scientific collaborations, advancing the science and medicine.

Look forward to the meeting and the friends.

Wishing the Organizers all the Best.