CIMIT RESPONSIBILITIES

Associate Leader, Inhalation Technology

BACKGROUND

Dr. Saukkonen is the Director of the Pulmonary Clinics at the West Roxbury VAMC with an academic appointment at Boston University. His background includes both basic immunology, and translational and clinical trials research. His experience will help the program when focusing on clinical applications of inhalation technology and in planning of clinical trials. His focus this year has been on development of new devices with CIMIT Engineering courses at MIT and Harvey Mudd College.

Dr. Saukkonen is PI on a DoD Hypothesis Development Grant to investigate potential neuroprotection of inhaled xenon in a rodent model of traumatic brain injury and has reached out to TBI/PTSD and seizures researchers. He has proposed development of a xenon recirculation circuit to the CIMIT Harvey-Mudd College engineering program and served as clinical liaison to the design group that has worked on this project. He will be the PI on the CIMIT Xenon Clinical Working Group.