A business plan presented on PurSpec Technologies Inc. (presented as BioMS) by Weldon School graduate student Yue Ren was runner-up in the Gold Division at the 28th annual Purdue Burton D. Morgan Business Plan Competition. The company was founded by Ren and Zheng Ouyang, associate professor of biomedical engineering.

A team of Purdue University researchers has been awarded a $1 million W.M. Keck Foundation grant to develop a new type of imaging technology for cell and tissue analysis. Central to the concept is the invention of a new way to perform in-vivo spectroscopy, or using a pulsing laser light to determine the precise chemical content of tissues in living organisms.

Purdue University has a long history of supporting strong women leaders. Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart coached young women about careers at Purdue, former dean Dorothy Stratton was the first full-time Dean of Women Purdue, and alumna and astronaut Janice Voss logged 18.8 million miles and 49 days in space including a total of 779 Earth orbits. The trend continues with Purdue women innovators and entrepreneurs who are making their mark in the world of technology transfer and commercialization in a number of ways including patent filings, startup creation and licensing deals.

Craig Goergen, a Purdue University assistant professor of biomedical engineering, says a new American Heart Association campaign that urges people to call 911 at the first sign of a heart attack can be a life-saver. Goergen, who studies cardiovascular disease, imaging and mechanics, says fast medical intervention after a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death.

Yeo, who is associate professor of industrial and physical pharmacy and associate professor of biomedical engineering, devotes herself to finding new drug delivery systems and teaching students to do the same. She is involved in ongoing research that could help improve therapies for devastating diseases such as cancer and cystic fibrosis.

Babak Ziaie and collaborator Shirley Rietdyk received funds from the Trask Innovation Fund to advance "SmartGait: A Device to Assess Gait Parameters and Predict Falls." The technology modifies a smartphone to measure a person's walking gait to help prevent falls in those with compromised balance, such as the elderly or people with Parkinson's disease.

Symic Biomedical has secured $15 million in Series A financing. This financing will support the company's ongoing development of its novel therapeutics and advancement of its two lead programs into clinical trials.

Researchers at Purdue find that lacrosse helmet models fail safety standards. Two lacrosse helmets are decertified by a safety organization, as reported in the New York Times, raising concerns about the sport.

A neurotoxin called acrolein found in tobacco smoke that is thought to increase pain in people with spinal cord injury has now been shown to accumulate in mice exposed to the equivalent of 12 cigarettes daily over a short time period.

Alyssa Panitch, the Leslie A. Geddes Professor of Biomedical Engineering, has been named vice provost for faculty affairs, effective Jan. 1.