Researchers have developed a way to use three types of microscopic imaging techniques simultaneously to analyze living tissue and learn more about the molecular mechanisms of multiple sclerosis, information that could help lead to earlier detection and new treatments.

Materials that can be injected into the body to form a scaffold to facilitate repair are taking a step forward thanks to work by Dr. Alyssa Panitch and her team. These materials, which start as a liquid, expand to fill gaps in damaged tissues before turning into a gel that dissolves as it is replaced by natural, healthy tissue. These materials can also be loaded with therapeutic drugs to further help the body heal itself. University News Service has the full story here.

Dr. Leslie A. Geddes was named a Health Care Hero Friday March 9 by the Indiana Business Journal. Dr. Geddes won in the Advancements in Healthcare category, which honors "a company or individual primarily responsible for a scientific discovery or for development of a new procedure, treatment or device that can save lives or improve quality of life for a large number of people."

The effort to create a new, low-cost technology that could benefit millions of AIDS victims in Africa, showcased in this previous spotlight, is moving forward. J. Paul Robinson, a professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Veterinary Medicine, and his team will be meeting with officials and health-care professionals in Nigeria later this month to introduce the technology.

Developed with the aid of a $250,000.00 gift from the Parker Hannifin Corporation, this new technology will measure the content of CD4 cells at a fraction of the current cost. The amount of CD4 cells in the blood indicates both how well a patient's immune system is doing as well as how far AIDS has advanced. When the count drops below a set amount, the patient can then be given antiviral drugs; yet, because current technology is expensive to operate and maintain, the tests are too expensive for most Africans. University News Service has the full story.

Peixuan Guo, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Molecular Virology, and Director of the Laboratory of Gene Therapy, has created a single-molecule imaging system that allows researchers to view DNA, RNA, and similar biological molecules. This new system, more powerful and sensitive than optical microscopes, has answered a long-standing question about the number of packaging ribonucleic acid (pRNA) molecules in the phi29 nanoscale biological motor. University News Service has the full story.

A new feature has been added to the Weldon Blog with podcasts. You can hear the first one here, and learn about research by Ozan Akkus.

The second podcast features the very first BME student, and the third podcast looks at the very successful BIOMEDSHIP program. Suggestions for future podcasts are most welcome.