Susquehanna Valley Section

February 2005 Meeting

The three hundred fifty-fourth meeting of the Section will be held on Wednesday, February 16 at Russell's Restaurant in Bloomsburg, PA. The guest speaker Dr. Mark Tapsak of Bloomsburg University who will deliver a talk entitled "40 Year Development Cycle of an Implantable Glucose Sensor". The dinner will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the lecture will start at 7:30 p.m. Dinner and the lecture will both be held at the restaurant.

Dinner: The dinner will begin at 6:00 pm at Russell's Restaurant in downtown Bloomsburg. The dinner items will be off the menu ($16.00 - 25.00 range). Please RSVP for dinner to Sharlene Pollock at 570-389-5159 by Feb 11^th.

Directions to the Restaurant

Street address: 117 W. Main St. in Bloomsburg
From the East: Take Interstate 80 West to the second Bloomsburg exit, Exit 236 A. Then take 487 South until the second red light. Turn onto Route 11 South, and go to the town square. The restaurant is the third building past the square on the right.

From the West: Take Interstate 80 East until Exit 232 (Buckhorn Exit). Go right at the Exit onto 42 south, and follow signs to Bloomsburg onto Route 11 North. Travel 0.7 miles and the restaurant is the third building on the left before the town square.

Any other traveling questions, please call (570) 387 - 1332.

The 40 Year Development Cycle of an Implantable Glucose Sensor
It has long been recognized that the continuous measurement of certain analytes from within the human body would be a useful medical tool. The creation of the Clark electrochemical electrode in the 1960s led various research groups to pursue biosensor development. One such analyte, glucose, is important in that uncontrolled long term high blood levels resulting from Diabetes leads to blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, strokes, kidney failure, amputations, and nerve damage. The talk will highlight one group's 40 year pursuit of a wholly implantable amperometric glucose sensor.

Dr. Mark Tapsak worked for 9 years in the biotech industry as a research scientist. His primary expertise is the development of novel polymeric materials designed for use in implantable medical devices. He has authored 12 papers, is a co-inventor on 7 published patent applications and holds 4 issued US patents on polymeric biomaterials and implantable medical devices. Dr. Tapsak joined the faculty at Bloomsburg University in the fall of 2004.