On Saturday Professor Xu, Xu Wanqing, and I traveled to
Shanghai for a meeting at First People’s Hospital. We met with Ophthalmologist
Dr. Sun and discussed research that is being conducted on drug delivery to the
eye. Currently, there is a need for improvement in the therapy for wet Age-Related
Macular Degeneration. Wet AMD is a
condition in which there is damage caused to the macula due to abnormal blood
vessel growth underneath the retina. The drugs that combat this vessel growth are
called Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor drugs (Anti-VEGF). The current
therapy for wet AMD requires repeated drug injections into the eye which can
become very expensive. One potential project of mine will be to determine if
there is a way to encapsulate Anti-VEGF drugs to create sustained and
controllable release of the drug. This would allow the drug to be effective for
a longer period of time. Another project will be to use 3D printing to develop
a detailed model of the eye that can be used for testing. I am consulting with
Dr. Cynthia Roberts on this project to determine what characteristics this
model should have.
Above is a photo from lunch with Dr. Sun |
After lunch Xu Wanqing and I checked into our hotel. We
were accompanied by Wang Qin who was one of the Ophthalmology
students at the meeting earlier in the day. She was able to help us find our way
around Shanghai to do some sightseeing. On Saturday afternoon we went to
visit the City of God’s Temple, which was filled with small shops. My
favorite part of this trip was being able to see one artist create the photo
below with only his hand and ink.
After doing some sight-seeing during the day, Xu Wanqing
and I ate
dinner with 2 of her friends at a new mall. We were exhausted after a long day
and went back to the hotel to get some sleep. On Sunday Xu Wanqing, Wang Qin,
and I went out to do some more sight-seeing. We first went to the Yuyuan
gardens. I was so lucky get an English-speaking guide for these gardens so that
I could learn more about the history behind the beautiful scenery. We then
walked to the Bund and saw downtown Shanghai. Overall, I had an incredible
weekend traveling around and seeing some of the sights in China!
Above is a photo of Xu Wanqing
and me
touring the Yuyuan Gardens
|
Above is a photo of
myself at the Bund in Shanghai
|
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