A toxin released by the body in response to spinal cord injuries increases pain by causing a proliferation of channels containing pain sensors, new research shows, and this hypersensitivity also extends to peripheral nerves in the limbs far from the injury site. Findings could point to a new route for treating pain in people with spinal cord injuries, said Riyi Shi (pronounced Ree Shee), a professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering in Purdue University's Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.

A new system that uses a wireless implant has been shown to record for the first time how brain tissue deforms when subjected to the kind of shock that causes blast-induced trauma commonly seen in combat veterans.
"Blast-induced traumatic brain injury, already one of the most significant wounds throughout Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, has become increasingly prevalent," said Riyi Shi, a professor in Purdue University's Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "About 167,000 blast-induced traumatic brain injury cases have been documented during both deployments alone."

Three women with Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering connections--Jessica Huber, professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences; Alyssa Panitch, the Leslie E. Geddes Professor of Biomedical Engineering; and Sherry Harbin, professor of biomedical engineering, serve as role models and mentors for faculty and student researchers who seek to transition their ideas into commercial products.

A Purdue innovation that could help improve efficiency and lower the costs of selective scientific imaging equipment is being commercialized by High Performance Imaging LLC. Charles Bouman, a professor in Purdue's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and a co-founder of High Performance Imaging, said that the company's technology can be of great value in advanced scientific imaging by reducing cost and increasing access.

Sherry Harbin, professor of biomedical engineering and basic medical sciences, was named winner of the 2015 Outstanding Commercialization Award for Purdue Faculty. The award is given annually to a faculty member in recognition of outstanding contributions to, and success with, commercializing Purdue research discoveries.