Dr. Gerald J. Wilmink Profile

Dr. Gerald J. Wilmink

CEO/Founder

SPIE Involvement:

Editor | Author

Area of Expertise:

Terahertz , Biological effects , Bioinformatics , Cellular stress response , microRNA , Preconditioning

Websites:

Company Website

Profile Summary

Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Joseph Wilmink earned his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University under the tutelage of Dr. E. Duco Jansen. Then during a one year tenure as a National Academy of Sciences Research Associate he built the Terahertz (THz) research laboratory within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He currently serves as principal investigator for this laboratory. Notably, in 2010 his team was the recipient of the AFRL Scientific and Technical Team award. Dr. Wilmink is the author of the book entitled “Introduction to Terahertz in Biology”, several book chapters on THz bioeffects and spectroscopy, and an invited review article on THz bioeffects. He has given 40 presentations at scientific conferences and has authored 13 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 25 scientific proceedings, and has several patents pending worldwide. Every year since 2010 he has served on the program committee for SPIE Photonics West LTI conference. Jerry also serves on several scholarships evaluation panels: NSF, NDSEG, and SMART. He is a Fellow of ALSMS and is an active member of SPIE, DEPS, AAAS, BEMS, and AiHce.

Publications (28)

Proceedings Article | 17 March 2014 Paper

State-of-the-art exposure chamber for highly controlled and reproducible THz biological effects studies

Cesario Cerna, David Elam, Ibtissam Echchgadda, Mark Sloan, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 8941, 89411H (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054417

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Humidity, Carbon dioxide, Nitrogen, Carbon dioxide lasers, Laser sources, Absorption, In vitro testing, Sensors, Standards development

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Proceedings Article | 13 March 2014 Paper

Investigation of a direct effect of nanosecond pulse electric fields on mitochondria

Larry Estlack, Caleb Roth, Cesario Cerna, Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey

Proceedings Volume 8941, 89411S (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2041981

KEYWORDS: Optical character recognition, Calcium, Oxygen, Plasma, Acquisition tracking and pointing, Ions, Phase modulation, Manufacturing, Absorbance, Calibration

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SPIE Journal Paper | 16 December 2013 Open Access

Using a portable terahertz spectrometer to measure the optical properties of in vivo human skin

Ibtissam Echchgadda, Jessica Grundt, Melissa Tarango, Bennett Ibey, Thomas Tongue, Min Liang, Hao Xin, Gerald Wilmink

JBO, Vol. 18, Issue 12, 120503, (December 2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JBO.18.12.120503

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Skin, Spectroscopy, Optical properties, Absorption, Refraction, Tissues, Optical testing, In vivo imaging, Tissue optics

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Proceedings Article | 28 February 2013 Paper

Using a portable terahertz spectrometer to measure the optical properties of in vivo human skin

Ibtissam Echchgadda, Jessica Grundt, Melissa Tarango, Bennett Ibey, Thomas Tongue, Min Liang, Hao Xin, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 8585, 85850J (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2004944

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Skin, Tissues, Optical properties, Spectroscopy, Absorption, Refraction, Optical testing, Terahertz spectroscopy, In vivo imaging

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Proceedings Article | 28 February 2013 Paper

Determination of the optical properties of melanin-pigmented human skin equivalents using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Dawn Lipscomb, Ibtissam Echchgadda, Xomalin Peralta, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 8585, 85850F (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2005170

KEYWORDS: Skin, Terahertz radiation, Tissues, Optical properties, Spectroscopy, Terahertz spectroscopy, Collagen, Refraction, Optical testing, Statistical analysis

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2013 Paper

Changes in protein expression of U937 and Jurkat cells exposed to nanosecond pulsed electric fields

Erick Moen, Caleb Roth, Caesar Cerna, Larry Estalck, Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey

Proceedings Volume 8585, 85850R (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2005062

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Plasma, Picosecond phenomena, Cell death, Control systems, Calcium, Flow cytometry, Genetics, Cell mechanics, Ions

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2013 Paper

Development of terahertz (THz) microfluidic devices for “Lab-on-a-Chip” applications

Qi Tang, Min Liang, Yi Lu, Pak Kin Wong, Gerald Wilmink, Hao Xin

Proceedings Volume 8585, 858506 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2010270

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Microfluidics, Electrodes, Dielectrophoresis, Lab on a chip, Prototyping, Glasses, Particles, Absorption, Spectroscopes

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Proceedings Article | 14 March 2012 Paper

Impact of nanosecond pulsed electric fields on primary hippocampal neurons

Caleb Roth, Jason Payne, Marjorie Kuipers, Gary Thompson, Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey

Proceedings Volume 8207, 820763 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.911802

KEYWORDS: Calcium, Plasma, Ions, Neurons, Molecules, Action potentials, Tissues, Microscopes, Luminescence, Electrodes

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Proceedings Article | 28 February 2012 Paper

Terahertz spectroscopy of dry, hydrated, and thermally denatured biological macromolecules

Dawn Lipscomb, Ibtissam Echchgadda, Bennett Ibey, Hope Beier, Robert Thomas, Xomalin Peralta, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 8221, 82211N (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.914658

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Collagen, Absorption, Spectroscopy, Silicon, Water, Proteins, Liquids, Terahertz spectroscopy, Optical properties

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SPIE Journal Paper | 1 April 2011 Open Access

Development of a compact terahertz time-domain spectrometer for the measurement of the optical properties of biological tissues

Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey, Benjamin Rivest, Jessica Grundt, William Roach, Thomas Tongue, Brian Schulkin, Norman Laman, Xomalin Peralta, Caleb Roth, Cesario Cerna

JBO, Vol. 16, Issue 04, 047006, (April 2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.3570648

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Tissues, Skin, Optical properties, Spectroscopy, Water, Refraction, Absorption, Bioalcohols, Optical testing

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Proceedings Article | 28 February 2011 Paper

Accelerating thermal deposition modeling at terahertz frequencies using GPUs

Michael Doroski, Michael Knight, Jason Payne, Jessica Grundt, Bennett Ibey, Robert Thomas, William Roach, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 7897, 78970F (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.874262

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Tissues, 3D modeling, Finite-difference time-domain method, Thermal modeling, Computer simulations, Laser damage threshold, Absorption, Radio propagation, In vitro testing

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Proceedings Article | 28 February 2011 Paper

Gene expression profile of Jurkat cells exposed to high power terahertz radiation

Jessica Grundt, Caleb Roth, Benjamin Rivest, Michael Doroski, Jason Payne, Bennett Ibey, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 7897, 78970E (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.874255

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Proteins, Radiation effects, Cell death, Control systems, Gas lasers, Temperature metrology, Carbon dioxide lasers, Thermal effects, Carbon dioxide

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2011 Paper

Determination of cellular injury and death thresholds following exposure to high voltage 10ns electrical pulses

Bennett Ibey, Caleb Roth, Joshua Bernhard, Andrei Pakhomov, Gerald Wilmink, Olga Pakhomova

Proceedings Volume 7901, 79010G (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.875826

KEYWORDS: Plasma, Picosecond phenomena, Cell death, Injuries, Flow cytometry, Molecules, Ions, Telecommunications, Analytical research, Carbon dioxide

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2011 Paper

Lysosomal exocytosis in response to subtle membrane damage following nanosecond pulse exposure

Danielle Dalzell, Caleb Roth, Joshua Bernhard, Jason Payne, Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey

Proceedings Volume 7901, 79010J (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.874358

KEYWORDS: Calcium, Plasma, Ions, Luminescence, Electrodes, Data transmission, Neodymium, Molybdenum, Field emission displays, Fermium

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Proceedings Article | 18 February 2011 Paper

Nanopore formation in neuroblastoma cells following ultrashort electric pulse exposure

Caleb Roth, Jason Payne, Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey

Proceedings Volume 7883, 788354 (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.875777

KEYWORDS: Calcium, Plasma, Amplitude modulation, Analytical research, Ions, Action potentials, Luminescence, Electrodes, Data modeling, Sodium

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Proceedings Article | 16 February 2011 Paper

Local plasma membrane permeabilization of living cells by nanosecond electric pulses using atomic force microscopy

Gary Thompson, Jason Payne, Caleb Roth, Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey

Proceedings Volume 7908, 79080U (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.875711

KEYWORDS: Plasma, Atomic force microscopy, Electrodes, Platinum, Ions, Microscopes, Computer simulations, Scanning electron microscopy, Luminescence, Analytical research

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Proceedings Article | 26 February 2010 Paper

Damage thresholds for terahertz radiation

Danielle Dalzell, Jill McQuade, Rebecca Vincelette, Bennet Ibey, Jason Payne, Robert Thomas, W. Roach, Caleb Roth, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 7562, 75620M (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.849243

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Tissues, Free electron lasers, Laser damage threshold, Standards development, Safety, Computational modeling, Gas lasers, Skin, Laser tissue interaction

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2010 Paper

Quantitative investigation of the bioeffects associated with terahertz radiation

Gerald Wilmink, Benjamin Rivest, Bennett Ibey, Caleb Roth, Joshua Bernhard, William Roach

Proceedings Volume 7562, 75620L (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.844916

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Infrared cameras, Finite-difference time-domain method, Temperature metrology, Data modeling, Proteins, Cameras, Gas lasers, Sensors, Carbon dioxide lasers

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2010 Paper

Measurement of the optical properties of skin using terahertz time-domain spectroscopic techniques

Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey, Thomas Tongue, Brian Schulkin, Xomalin Peralta, Benjamin Rivest, Eric Haywood, William Roach

Proceedings Volume 7562, 75620J (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.844914

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Skin, Tissues, Optical properties, Spectroscopy, Optical testing, Refraction, Analytical research, Absorption, Terahertz spectroscopy

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Proceedings Article | 23 February 2010 Paper

Determination of death thresholds and identification of terahertz (THz)-specific gene expression signatures

Gerald Wilmink, Bennett Ibey, Caleb Roth, Rebecca Vincelette, Benjamin Rivest, Christopher Horn, Joshua Bernhard, Dawnlee Roberson, William Roach

Proceedings Volume 7562, 75620K (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.844917

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Picosecond phenomena, Cell death, Luminescence, Flow cytometry, Microscopy, Carbon dioxide lasers, Radiation effects, Infrared radiation, Proteins

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Proceedings Article | 25 February 2009 Paper

Optical property of human skin

Luisiana Cundin, William Roach, Gerald Wilmink

Proceedings Volume 7175, 717517 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.805582

KEYWORDS: Absorption, Skin, Refraction, Liquids, Optical properties, Water, Fourier transforms, Statistical analysis, Biological research, Analytical research

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Proceedings Article | 25 February 2009 Paper

A signature microRNA expression profile for the cellular response to thermal stress

Gerald Wilmink, Caleb Roth, Norma Ketchum, Bennett Ibey, Angela Waterworth, Maria Suarez, William Roach

Proceedings Volume 7175, 71750U (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.815310

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Cell death, Detection and tracking algorithms, Thermodynamics, Control systems, Mode conditioning cables, Luminescence, Computer programming, Databases, Cell mechanics

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Proceedings Article | 25 February 2009 Paper

The optical properties of biological tissues in the terahertz wavelength range

Gerald Wilmink, Benjamin Rivest, Bennett Ibey, Luisiana Cundin, Eric Haywood, William Roach

Proceedings Volume 7175, 717507 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.806175

KEYWORDS: Terahertz radiation, Tissues, Optical properties, Waveguides, Absorption, Lenses, Sensors, Spectroscopy, Nitrogen, Laser optics

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SPIE Journal Paper | 1 September 2008 Open Access

In-vivo optical imaging of hsp70 expression to assess collateral tissue damage associated with infrared laser ablation of skin

Gerald Wilmink, Susan Opalenik, Joshua Beckham, Mark Mackanos, Lillian Nanney, Christopher Contag, Jeffrey Davidson, E. Duco Jansen

JBO, Vol. 13, Issue 05, 054066, (September 2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.2992594

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Laser ablation, Free electron lasers, Skin, Laser tissue interaction, Optical imaging, Proteins, Green fluorescent protein, In vivo imaging, Luminescence

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Proceedings Article | 26 February 2008 Paper

Laser thermal preconditioning enhances dermal wound repair

Gerald Wilmink, Terry Carter, Jeffrey Davidson, E. Duco Jansen

Proceedings Volume 6842, 68420O (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.767258

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Infrared cameras, Skin, Temperature metrology, Wound healing, In vivo imaging, Thermography, Semiconductor lasers, In vitro testing, Mouse models

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Proceedings Article | 20 February 2008 Paper

Use of optical reporter genes to assess sublethal cellular damage following skin ablation

Gerald Wilmink, Susan Opalenik, Jeffrey Davidson, E. Duco Jansen

Proceedings Volume 6854, 685403 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.767263

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Proteins, Free electron lasers, Skin, Laser ablation, Laser tissue interaction, Green fluorescent protein, Absorption, Laser therapeutics, Tissue optics

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Proceedings Article | 8 February 2007 Paper

Wavelength-dependent dynamics of heat shock protein 70 expression in free electron laser wounds

Gerald Wilmink, Joshua Beckham, Mark Mackanos, Christopher Contag, Jeffrey Davidson, E. Jansen

Proceedings Volume 6440, 644003 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.705085

KEYWORDS: Free electron lasers, Tissues, Laser tissue interaction, Absorption, Skin, Tissue optics, Proteins, Light scattering, Scattering, Collagen

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SPIE Journal Paper | 1 July 2006 Open Access

Assessing laser-tissue damage with bioluminescent imaging

Gerald Wilmink, Susan Opalenik, Josh Beckham, Jeffrey Davidson, Eric Jansen

JBO, Vol. 11, Issue 04, 041114, (July 2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.2339012

KEYWORDS: Proteins, Gas lasers, Bioluminescence, Skin, Laser induced damage, Laser tissue interaction, Carbon monoxide, Tissues, Animal model studies, Microscopy

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Effective medical laser procedures are achieved by selecting laser parameters that minimize undesirable tissue damage. Traditionally, human subjects, animal models, and monolayer cell cultures have been used to study wound healing, tissue damage, and cellular effects of laser radiation. Each of these models has significant limitations, and consequently, a novel skin model is needed. To this end, a highly reproducible human skin model that enables noninvasive and longitudinal studies of gene expression was sought. In this study, we present an organotypic raft model (engineered skin) used in combination with bioluminescent imaging (BLI) techniques. The efficacy of the raft model was validated and characterized by investigating the role of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) as a sensitive marker of thermal damage. The raft model consists of human cells incorporated into an extracellular matrix. The raft cultures were transfected with an adenovirus containing a murine hsp70 promoter driving transcription of luciferase. The model enables quantitative analysis of spatiotemporal expression of proteins using BLI. Thermal stress was induced on the raft cultures by means of a constant temperature water bath or with a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser (=10.6 µm, 0.679 to 2.262 W/cm2, cw, unfocused Gaussian beam, L=4.5 mm, 1 min exposure). The bioluminescence was monitored noninvasively with an IVIS 100 Bioluminescent Imaging System. BLI indicated that peak hsp70 expression occurs 4 to 12 h after exposure to thermal stress. A minimum irradiance of 0.679 W/cm2 activated the hsp70 response, and a higher irradiance of 2.262 W/cm2 was associated with a severe reduction in hsp70 response due to tissue ablation. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that hsp70 mRNA levels increased with prolonged heating exposures. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent protein assays confirmed that luciferase was an accurate surrogate for hsp70 intracellular protein levels. Hematoxylin and eosin stains verified the presence of the ...

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