Andrea’s first paper on calculating the effects of cervical geometry and cervical material properties on the mechanical loading of the cervical os has been published by the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. The paper is entitled, A Parameterized Ultrasound-Based Finite Element Analysis of the Mechanical Environment of Pregnancy, and the methodology takes advantage of ultrasound data of the maternal anatomy to build parametric models of the pregnant abdomen.
Category Archives: Science
ASME Honor – Y.C. Fung Award
The Myers lab is honored to announce Prof. Myers will receive the 2017 ASME Y.C. Fung Young Investigator award. The award will be given at this year’s Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference in Tucson, AZ. The full announcement can be read here.
Filed under Science
New Publication – Using OCT to Characterize Cervical Collagen Direction
With our collaborator Christine Hendon in Electrical Engineering here at Columbia, we have characterized the collagen fiber directionality of the human cervix using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Our results are now published in a study entitled, Collagen Fiber Orientation and Dispersion in the Upper Cervix of Non-Pregnant and Pregnant Women on the PLOS ONE website. The study is co-authored by Wang (Frank) Yao from the Myers lab and Yu Gan from the Hendon lab.
All raw data are available on the Columbia University Academic Commons website (http://dx.doi.org/10.7916/D8BG2PCX).
Myers Lab Featured in ASME Online
Read a recent article about our pregnancy biomechanics work featured in ASME online.
Filed under Science
New Publication Alert – Material Properties of the Mouse Cervix in a Normal Pregnancy
Our paper titled, “Material properties of mouse cervical tissue in normal gestation” has been published in Acta Biomaterialia. This paper outlines our experimental and inverse finite element methods to calculate the material property changes of the mouse cervix in a normal pregnancy. Here, we found that cervical stiffness in a mouse decreases by 4 orders of magnitude within a 19-day mouse pregnancy. Our raw data from this study is also available at the Columbia University Library’s Academic Commons (http://dx.doi.org/10.7916/D8DN44QW)
Why Mothers Deliver Early
Our preterm birth research is featured in the Fall/Winter 2015 Columbia Medicine Alumni Magazine along with all of our Columbia colleagues working towards understanding and reducing the burden of preterm birth.
Filed under Articles, In the News, Science
New Publications in Press
1. The Mechanical Role of the Cervix in Pregnancy – A Review
2. A Continous Fiber Distribution Material Model for Human Cervix
Filed under Science
Dr. Joy Vink selected as a Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Scholar
Our clinical collaborator, Dr. Joy Vink has been selected as a 2015 Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Scholar. This program supports physician-scientists at the Columbia University Medical Center to conduct translational research designed to bring new treatments for patients.
Congratulations Dr. Vink!
Filed under Science
Dr. Myers wins NSF CAREER Award
Great news! Dr. Myers recently won the NSF CAREER award for her project, “Growth and Remodeling of the Uterine Cervix during Pregnancy”.
This award will help support our ongoing investigation of the underlying causes of preterm cervical remodeling. Specifically, this work will focus on determining the biochemical and mechanical property changes that occur under various hormonal cues during pregnancy.
Congratulations Dr. Myers!
Columbia Engineering | Professor Myers Wins NSF CAREER Award
Filed under Science
Preterm Birth Statistics – Updated Nov. 2014
The World Health Organization released new statistics on the rate of preterm birth around the world. The bottom line is preterm birth rates are still high. About 15 million babies are born preterm every year. In 2013 almost 1 million babies died from complications related to preterm birth. Increased knowledge on the cause of preterm and better solutions to prevent it from happening are much needed.
Filed under In the News, Science
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