We're always excited when our medical research makes it to the clinical trials phase. That's because it takes a tremendous amount of effort to get there. It may take many years of lab work -- decades, even -- before we're confident enough to proceed into human testing. This also explains,…
Our Bimal Desai, PhD, has discovered an electrical switch within a certain type of immune cell that could let us treat inflammatory diseases including inflammation of the brain, as seen in Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, for the first time. What he found was that this switch, called an ion channel,…
How is at-home genetic testing different than the genetic testing you'd get at a doctor's office? My colleague Leigh Critzer has written an informative post over at Healthy Balance, the UVA Health System's blog. Before you try to draw any conclusions about your health, make sure you check it out.…
The UVA Center for Applied Biomechanics is helping the NFL make pro football safer. The center's efforts include evaluating the safety of footwear and helmets, along with thigh, knee, hip and shoulder pads. Here's an interesting fact from Jeff Crandall, the center's director: "Regarding concussions, over the years we have…
The UVA Licensing & Ventures Group has named Dr. Jeff Elias the Edlich-Henderson Innovator of the Year for his pioneering work with focused ultrasound. The award recognizes a UVA faculty member whose work is making a major impact on society, and Dr. Elias' certainly is. Dr. Elias is basically the…
Fascinating article in the New York Times today about a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes that doctors are only now beginning to appreciate. For a long time, doctors have been baffled by the large number of apparently healthy people, people without risk factors such as smoking or…