Vigmostad Wins National Competition (October 14, 2007)
Sarah Vigmostad, biomedical engineering graduate student, recently won first place in the biotechnology section of a student presentation competition at the U.S. National Congress on Computational Mechanics held in San Francisco, CA. The presentation was titled "Development and Validation of a Strongly Coupled Approach for Heart Valve Simulations."

Vigmostad is studying biomedical engineering with K.B. Chandran, Lowell G. Battershell Chair in Biomedical Engineering and professor of biomedical engineering, and plans to pursue an academic career upon earning her doctorate.

UI Signs Third $1.5 million Alcon Contract for Study of Blinding Eye Diseases (October 14, 2007)
The Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB), a joint enterprise of the University of Iowa College of Engineering and the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has signed a five-year, $1.5 million contract with Alcon Research, Ltd. of Ft. Worth, Texas, a leading ophthalmic pharmaceutical research company, for research aimed at helping to prevent blindness.

The agreement is the third such UI contract with Alcon and represents an extension of a similar, $1.5 million contract for macular degeneration research signed in 2004. Also, a $1.5 million contract aimed at helping scientists better understand glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, was signed in 2003.

Thomas Casavant, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering and CCB director, says that the latest funding shows continued confidence in the CBCB and a willingness to further advance the study of blinding eye diseases.

Terry Braun, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical engineering and ophthalmology and visual sciences and director of the Coordinated Laboratory for Computational Genomics, says: "Recent advances in high-throughput molecular techniques combined with the clinical resources of the University of Iowa makes this an exciting opportunity which will hopefully put us closer to understanding blindness and developing treatments and cures."

The primary investigators on the project are Braun and Robert Mullins, Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and director of the Chorioretinal Degenerations Laboratory in the UI Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration.

Braun is developing novel bioinformatics software tools to identify potential therapeutic targets and to accelerate mutation screening of candidate genes for glaucoma and macular degeneration, respectively. The software system will annotate and manage all gene-associated data, help identify and prioritize glaucoma and macular degeneration candidate genes and identify potential therapeutic targets. Professor Mullins will acquire tissue samples, perform gene expression profiling in ocular tissues from individuals with AMD and evaluate the expression of selected target genes in the retina. Mullins is also developing AMD models in model organisms for further study.

The project's interdisciplinary, collaborative team, located at the UI and at Alcon, will continue to use its expertise in human molecular genetics, bioinformatics, ocular cell and molecular biology, and histology, as well as access to a large pool of patients to screen for glaucoma and macular degeneration mutations. The relationship between the University of Iowa and Alcon Research, Ltd. dates back to a 1993 collaboration with the UI's Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory, directed by Edwin Stone, M.D., Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, which was extended in 1998 to include the Coordinated Laboratory for Computational Genomics.

The CBCB, directed by Casavant, is a high-performance computational and informational resource uniquely designed to help researchers learn about the molecular and genetic bases of human disease. In addition, the CBCB is working to facilitate development of interdisciplinary programs of study to teach professionals the skills of biomedical problem solving using modern computational methods. The center is jointly administered by the UI College of Engineering and the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and supported by the Office of the Vice President for Research. The center includes researchers from the Colleges of Engineering, Medicine, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Public Health, Business, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing and the Graduate College. Also, the CBCB will work to cooperate with other units, including the UI Carver Center for Comparative Genomics and the UI Center for Macular Degeneration and other research support units such as Information Technology Services Research Technologies and the Carver College of Medicine's DNA Core Facility.

An outgrowth of numerous existing efforts in the fledgling area of bioinformatics, the CBCB builds upon over seven years of collaboration between the Carver College of Medicine and the College of Engineering in the use of applied computational science in the fields of genomics, genetics, molecular biology, and their applications for medical research. Such collaborations have investigated genotyping, genetic linkage analysis, gene mapping and other phenomena and have already attracted more than $35 million in external funding to the University of Iowa.

Alcon Research, Ltd. is an affiliate of Alcon, Inc. (NYSE: ACL), the world's leading eye care company. Alcon, which has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for more than 50 years, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment and devices, contact lens care solutions and other vision care products that treat diseases, disorders and other conditions of the eye.

Wilder Receives Palmer College of Chiropractic Research Grant (October 7 , 2007)
David G. Wilder, associate professor of biomedical engineering, has received a one-year, $52,908 research grant from Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA.

Wilder will be studying the effect of spinal manipulation on sensorimotor functions in back pain patients.

Wilder also is UI associate professor of occupational and environmental health, senior research scientist in the Jolt/Vibration/Seating Laboratory, and researcher in the UI Injury Prevention Research Center. In addition, he serves on the faculty at Palmer College of Chiropractic.

Virtual Soldier Research Program Receives $1.77 Million U.S. Army Contract (October 7, 2007)
The Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program at the Center for Computer Aided Design (CCAD) has signed a one-year, $1.77 million contract with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command Center (TACOM).

The contract is to continue research in support of the army's transformation vision and, in particular, advance research on VSR's digital human SANTOS™. A digital human is a computer-generated character that mimics with great accuracy the anatomy, behavior, motion and intelligence of a real human being. Digital humans are used to test and evaluate products, equipment, vehicles, and armaments before they are built, saving time, money and, potentially, and lives.

"This additional funding from TACOM will help us achieve our desired goal of pushing the envelope to accurately simulate, measure and analyze soldier performance, leading to our being able to help the military achieve their goals," said Karim Abdel-Malek, contract principal investigator, founder and director of the VSR program and professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering.

At the heart of VSR research are fundamental theories in predicting how humans move under various loading conditions, such as typical soldier load and armament, and while executing a variety of prescribed tasks. Eight years in development, VSR's research method -- called "Predictive Dynamics" -- has made a significant impact on simulating how humans move while being able to predict physics-based, realistically human motions and potential injuries, according to Abdel-Malek.

"Predictive Dynamics is now heralded by many as a revolutionary method for simulating human motion and is poised to make a significant impact on how products are designed and tested by humans before they are made," he says. In collaboration with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, Boston, VSR researchers are helping design a soldier simulator for the design of new upper- and lower-extremity armor, a concept inspired by the current Iraq war. Once delivered, this system will enable the military to design new armor and efficiently field it.

This latest contract will advance both basic and applied research by the VSR team's 37 researchers, who comprise a multidisciplinary team from across the UI. The team includes professional staff members, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. The focus is on advancing the team's fundamental theories for task-based and physics-based motion prediction and on validating these predicted motions using VSR's state of the art facilities for motion capture.

Research at VSR combines rigorous engineering methods with components adapted from the entertainment and gaming industries to provide the most advanced human modeling and simulation system known to date. The work complements existing expertise at Iowa and brings together researchers in engineering, medicine and the military.

In addition to principal investigator Abdel-Malek, project investigators include Jasbir Arora, Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Salam Rahmatallah, assistant professor of civil and environment engineering; Steve Beck, VSR senior projects manager; and Tim Marler, VSR senior research scientist.

UI Engineer Wins National Competition (September 23 , 2007)
Sarah Vigmostad of Iowa City, Iowa, a graduate student in the University of Iowa Graduate College, recently won first place in the biotechnology section of a student presentation competition at the U.S. National Congress on Computational Mechanics held in San Francisco, Calif. The presentation was titled "Development and Validation of a Strongly Coupled Approach for Heart Valve Simulations."

Vigmostad is studying biomedical engineering with K.B. Chandran in the UI College of Engineering and plans to pursue an academic career upon earning her doctorate. Chandran is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Raghavan Nets $2.74 Million NIH Grant to Study Brain Aneurysms (September 23, 2007)
Madhavan L. Raghavan, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the University of Iowa College of Engineering, has received a five-year, $2.74 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study the biomechanics of brain aneurysms.

Raghavan says that the motivation for the project is to help physicians diagnose the severity of brain aneurysms and ascertain their rupture risk better.

Traditionally, the size of the aneurysm is considered the key risk factor for rupture. But, it is possible that the shape of these lesions is also an important risk factor -- perhaps a more important factor, says Raghavan, who will serve as project principal investigator.

" In this project, the investigators will assess whether aneurysm shape is a predictive factor in growth risk," he says. "The challenge is that aneurysm shape is inherently qualitative, unlike size. To better capture the role of aneurysm shape, the investigators will draw upon principles in image processing, computational geometry, fluid mechanics and solid mechanics."

Earlier, preliminary studies on this topic performed in Raghavan's lab by Dr. Baoshun Ma, a former UI doctoral student and currently research scientist at the University of California at San Diego, won the Basic Science Award from the American Association of Neurosurgeons.

His UI collaborators on the project are: K.B. Chandran, Lowell G. Battershell Chair in Biomedical Engineering and faculty research engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering; Jia Lu, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and researcher in the Center for Computer Aided Design; James Torner, professor and head of epidemiology in the College of Public Health; UI graduate student Manasi Ramachandran and others to be named.

Raghavan will also be joined by project subcontractors: Dr. Robert E. Harbaugh, professor and chair of neurosurgery at Penn State University's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, as well a project co-principal investigator; Dr. Robert H. Rosenwasser, professor and chair of neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; and Dr. Christopher S. Ogilvy, professor of neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School.

Aneurysm research is a focus of Raghavan's Vascular Mechanics Lab. Previously in 2007, Raghavan received a two-year NIH grant to study and improve the design aspects of endovascular graft, an implant used to repair aortic aneurysms that occur in the large artery of the abdomen.

Wahle Receives $71,500 American Heart Association Research Grant (July 13, 2007)
Andreas Wahle, has received a $71,500 one-year research grant from the American Heart Association (AHA), Heartland Affiliate. The grant will be used to study 4D ultrasound segmentation and statistical modeling of the left ventricle for mechanical dyssynchrony assessment.

The AHA Heartland Affiliate Heartland Affiliate serves Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Dove Appointed Interim DEO of Biomedical Engineering (July 13, 2007)
Ed Dove, professor, has been appointed Departmental Executive Office of Biomedical Engineering effective July 9, 2007.

Marler Receives SAE Digital Human Modeling Award (July 1, 2007)
Tim Marler, senior research scientist in the Virtual Soldier Researchprogram, Center for Computer-Aided Design, in collaboration with Jingzhou Yang, Salam Rahmatalla, Karim Abdel-Malek, and Chad Harrison (of Honda R&D Americas, inc.), won the "SAE Digital Human Modeling 2007 Most Outstanding Small Group Presentation." The award was presented at the recent SAE DHM conference for his presentation of the paper, " Validation Methodology Development for Predicted Posture."

Funded by Honda R&D Americas, inc., this work provides new methodologies for validating computationally predicted human posture, stemming from an optimization-based approach developed at the Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program. In addition, the work studies various optimization methods and formulations for modeling human behavior within an
automotive cab. Marler received the award on behalf of the group at the SAE conference in Seattle, WA.

Lundberg Given Pre-doctoral Young Scientist Award (July 1, 2007)
Recent doctoral graduate Hannah Lundberg was awarded the 2006 Pre-doctoral Young Scientist Award from the American Society of Biomechanics. She successfully defended her doctoral thesis on “Third Body Acceleration of Polyethylene Wear in Total Hip Arthroplasty,” working under the direction of Professor Thomas Brown in the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory in December 2006. She also received a BS degree in biomedical engineering in 2002 from the College.

The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) was founded in October 1977 by a group of 52 scientists and clinicians. Its mission is to encourage and foster the exchange of information and ideas among biomechanists working in different disciplines and fields of application, biological sciences, exercise and sports science, health sciences, ergonomics and human factors, and engineering and applied science, and to facilitate the development of biomechanics as a basic and applied science.

Vida Diagnostics Secures $650,000 in Venture Equity Funding (June 12, 2007)
VIDA Diagnostics Inc., a University of Iowa Research Foundation licensee and leader in medical image analysis software, has secured $950,000 in venture equity funding from the Iowa First Capital Fund II via Corridor Management Co. The company, located at the UI's Technology Innovation Center, will initially receive $650,000 from the fund and have an option for more funding later. VIDA Diagnostics (http://www.vidadiagnostics.com) produces and sells diagnostic software solutions based on proprietary technology developed at the UI's Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver School of Medicine and licensed from the UI Research Foundation.

Its main product, Pulmonary Workstation Plus, is installed at leading lung research centers around the world, including the UI, Johns Hopkins, Stanford and the University of British Columbia. VIDA's key applications include measuring and locating emphysema, measuring lung and airway drug reactivity and planning bronchoscopy procedures for device placement and biopsy. The company was founded in 2004 by four UI faculty members: Eric Hoffman, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, nursing and radiology; Geoffrey McLennan, M.D., professor of internal medicine; Joseph M. Reinhardt, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering; and Milan Sonka, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering.

VIDA was named Iowa's Outstanding Startup of the Year at the March 2007 Prometheus Awards, sponsored by the Iowa Technology Association. The National Institutes of Health have awarded four Small Business Innovation Research grants to VIDA over the past four years.

Iowa First Capital Fund II (Limited Partnership) is a venture capital fund located in Cedar Rapids and managed by Corridor Management Co. The fund, composed of 28 investors, was established to focus on investing in business within Iowa. The fund currently has investments in four companies ranging from biomedical to prepaid cell phone distribution to computer programming resources.

Frey-Law Receives Department of Defense Research Grant (June 12, 2007)
Engineering alumna Laura Frey-Law (BS 1990 in biomedical engineering), UI assistant professor of physical therapy & rehabilitation science and director of the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory, has received a $144,600 research grant from the Department of Defense. Her research will focus on advancing digital human modeling to accommodate vibration> environments.

Frey-Law is working with other researchers in the Virtual Soldier Program at the UI Center for Computer-Aided Design

Automakers Join Virtual Research Program with $1.5 Million Contract (May 28, 2007)
The Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program announced that the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), an organization composed of DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation, has joined the program partnership with a $1.5 million contract for manufacturing ergonomics research.

At the UI, a team of 35 researchers is advancing state-of-the-art performance in computerized human modeling and simulation. Their work with USCAR will be aimed at helping the U.S. automakers use computer representations of people, called "digital humans," to design safer and more ergonomically acceptable manufacturing plants.

The partnership will address three large projects:

--A study of the strength and fatigue limits of automotive manufacturing plant workers.
--The development and integration of ergonomics tools into "Santos(tm)"
-- VSR's computer representation of a human.
--The advancement of the field of predictive mathematics, also referred to as "Predictive Dynamics," to enable Santos™ to predict such variables as his own walking speed and direction while carrying various loads and while mathematically predicting various postures.

Initiated by VSR researchers, the use of Predictive Dynamics within Santos(tm) has already made a significant impact on the field of human motion prediction. The tool makes it possible to accurately calculate walking and running motions for digital humans, when given such variables as human body size, strength, weight, load-carrying abilities and clothing.

UI researchers say human simulation is expected to revolutionize existing technology by reducing the amount of physical prototypes made and providing new tools for simulating safety issues in manufacturing and assembly plants. "The Santos™ human model is poised to make a significant impact on the fields of manufacturing, ergonomics, safety, rehabilitation, assembly and more," Abdel-Malek said.

The digital humans VSR uses to conduct its research already possess human anatomy, behavior, motion and intelligence. When digital humans like Santos™ also are used to test and evaluate various products, vehicles and armaments before they are physically made, they can help manufacturers produce safer products faster and at reduced cost.

UI project co-investigators are: Dr. Tim Marler, VSR senior research scientist, who will serve as Iowa program manager; Dr. Laura Frey Law, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, who will lead the muscle strength experiments and modeling portion; Dr. Jasbir Arora, Wendell F. Miller Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and VSR program associate director, who will lead predictive dynamics research; Steve Beck, VSR senior project manager, who will oversee software implementation; Anith Mathai, VSR Staff Engineer who will lead the integration of ergonomic tools into Santos(tm), and Dr. Daniel Anton, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, who will serve as a consultant on all ergonomics issues.

The VSR Program was established in 2003 to conduct basic and applied research aimed at creating the most advanced human simulation tools. While the program was first aimed at the military, it has grown rapidly over the past three years, attracting national and international attention and a significant amount of external funding to the UI. The VSR program has active partnerships with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command Center, Caterpillar, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center and Rockwell Collins, in addition to this new partnership with USCAR. The new contract means the VSR program has secured more than $13 million in external funding in the past three years.

Founded in 1992, the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) is the umbrella organization for collaborative research among DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation. The goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development. For more information, visit USCAR's Web site at http://www.uscar.org

Engineering Student Keenan Receives Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship (May 13, 2007)
Alexandra Keenan, a sophomore biomedical engineering and international studies major in the Colleges of Engineering and Liberal Arts and Sciences, is among three students in he University of Iowa Honors Program who have been awarded 2007 Goldwater Scholarships, which cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for one or two years.A fourth UI student, Andrej Lenert, a junior in mechanical engineering, was awarded an honorable mention.

Keenan, has done research in the lab of Dr. Kathrin Schrick at the Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont, Calif. Keenan used a proteomics approach to address the hypothesis that sterols regulate gene transcription during embroygenesis.Keenan plans to enter an M.D./Ph.D. program to conduct research aimed at alleviating problems in the global health care setting, specifically in women's reproductive health.

The scholarship was awarded to 317 students nationally this year and is administered by the federally endowed Goldwater Foundation, which was named in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Barry M. Goldwater. The foundation seeks to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering, and the scholarship is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

Scholars -- nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities -- are selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of mathematics, science and engineering students. At the UI, the University Honors Program staff selects four nominees based on students' academic achievement and participation in research.

Cellular Engineering Teaching Laboratory Dedicated (May 6, 2007)
The College of Engineering celebrated continuing biomedical engineering excellence when the Cellular Engineering Teaching Laboratory was dedicated May 2.

Funded in part by a grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust of Muscatine, IA, the laboratory will aid many aspects of teaching and research.

"Thanks to generous support from the Carver Trust for the purchase of equipment and from the College of Engineering dean's office for laboratory renovation, a dream has become a reality with the establishment of a state-of-the-art cell biology laboratory for our students," said Krishnan B. Chandran, Lowell G Battershell Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Chandran said, "This laboratory provides experiential learning for our students in required courses in basic cell biology, as well as in cell-material interaction. In addition, the laboratory will be available for other elective courses offered in the department as well as for any senior 'capstone' design projects that involve cellular manipulations."

In keeping up with the dynamic changes in the discipline of biomedical engineering, our faculty felt that our students must have hands-on experience in the culturing and manipulation of cells and making measurements at the cellular level, Chandran said. The UI program recently introduced curriculum changes requiring that all undergraduate students take an engineering course in cell biology having a laboratory component. The curriculum changes are important because, as Chandran noted, scientific advances in studying human disease and appropriate cures involve studies at multiple levels of scale. Biomedical engineers -- along with basic scientists and physicians -- will continue to be involved in making measurements and in modeling complex processes directed toward advances in human health care.

Michael Mackey, associate professor of biomedical engineering and pathology, course coordinator, and principal architect of the new course, stated that this newest addition to the biomedical engineering curriculum will acquaint sophomores in biomedical engineering with basic techniques used in cell biology, as well as provide exposure to more advanced techniques such as gel electrophoresis, cDNA microarray analysis, and polymerase chain reaction, all important biomedical research tools that students are usually exposed to later in their undergraduate studies.

Biomedical Engineering Holds Virginia Tech Fundraiser (April 30, 2007)
The Department of Biomedical Engineering is holding a fundraiser for the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy which occurred April 16. They are working with the 40 biomedical engineering departments across the nation to raise money to form a memorial scholarship recognizing the students and faculty members who lost their lives on that tragic day. This fundraiser will consist of two parts:

1) A silent auction that will be held May 2 in the South Entrance Lobby of the Seamans Center from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
2.) Raffles of additional prizes donated from area businesses. Raffle tickets can be purchased from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. in the South Entrance of the Seamans Center on May 2nd.

Below is a description of the two parts of the fundraiser. Please take a look and come out and support this great cause.

1.) Silent Auction

Where: South Entrance Lobby, Seamans Center
When: May 2nd, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
What is available for auction: Goods donated from local businesses placed into prize packages and available for all to bid (students, faculty, staff and general public). Items include rounds of golf, theater tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants and shops, Hawkeye gear, baseball tickets, and other activities around Iowa City. To see a detailed description of the packages please go to http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/~bmess/

2.) Raffles

Where: South Entrance Lobby, Seamans Center
When: May 2nd, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
What you could win: 2 raffles to be conducted: $2 raffle with prizes including numerous gift certificates to area restaurants and a $5 Raffle with prizes including:
-$50 Gift Certificate to One-Twenty-Six
-Dinner for 2 at Bennigans
-$25 Scheels Gift Card
-2 Boston’s Pizza and Drink Certificates

As an incentive anyone who buys a raffle ticket will receive a free movie rental to Hollywood video while supplies last. If you are interested in bidding on any of the items above, or would like to purchase a raffle ticket to either raffle, please come to the John Deere Plaza on Wednesday, May 2nd from 8am to 4pm. If you cannot attend, please email bmess@engineering.uiowa.edu with your name, # associated with the prize you’d like, and the amount of money you’d like to bid. Please also include the best way to contact you.

UI Engineer Receives Grant to Study Medical Implant (March 25, 2007)
Improving the quality of life for individuals who receive certain types of implants in connection with cardiovascular surgery is the goal of a University of Iowa College of Engineering researcher who has received a two-year, $221,250 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Madhavan L. Raghavan, associate professor of biomedical engineering and project principal investigator, says that more than 3,000 patients in
the United States annually receive an implant called an "endovascular graft" (EVG). The implant is typically used to repair aortic aneurysms, an incident occurring when a blood vessel in the abdomen becomes abnormally large or balloons outward.

Researchers plan to study the role that certain EVG design aspects play in its post-implant performance and whether these design elements may be improved, according to Raghavan. Dr. Jafar Golzarian, clinical professor of radiology in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine is the clinical collaborator on the project. He is an expert in EVG implantation and is providing the engineers with clinical insights and advice. Jarin Kratzberg, a biomedical engineering doctoral student and Bill Barnhart, who recently retired as a radiology technician from UI Hospitals and Clinics, are working with Raghavan on the project.

In particular, the project will examine EVG barbs, needle-like structures designed to penetrate the aortic wall, hold the implant in place and prevent it from failing.

Although there have been many studies comparing commercial EVGs, few have assessed specific EVG design variables in a controlled environment with the aim of optimizing them. This is important because a significant number of EVGs tend to migrate during the first few years following implantation. Also, there are a wide variety of commercial EVG designs on the market and their relative merits are unclear, making it difficult for physicians to choose devices for specific patients.

Raghavan says his EVG design studies evaluating graft size and barb length will be performed in an in vitro system that simulates the hemodynamics of human endovascular repair. The overall objective is to identify the optimal combination of graft oversizing and barb length that maximizes graft attachment strength following the implant. He says it is logical for engineers to be involved in such studies, since the question of implant safety is similar, for example, to bridge safety. Both involve materials and variables that change over time due to the forces acting on them.

Virtual Soldier Research Program Nets One-Year, $2.3 Million Army
Contract (March 4, 2007)
The Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program has received a $2.3 million contract from the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) of Warren, MI, to improve human modeling tools used in the design of military ground vehicles.

In particular, the contract calls for the VSR team to further develop their "Predictive Dynamics" tools for use in calculating human motion in a military environment. Invented by VSR researchers, the field of Predictive Dynamics already has made a significant impact on the field of human motion simulation by making it possible -- for the first time ever -- to calculate the walking and running involved in human gait when given such variables as human body size, strength, weight, load-carrying abilities and clothing effects.

Recently, the VSR team improved the predictability of naturalistic human motions and developed ways to simulate typical soldier tasks. With 109 degrees of freedom, Santos, the digital human, possesses accurate biomechanics, according to Predictive Dynamics. The new contract also calls for the VSR team to partner with Mississippi State University, whose expertise in motion-capture technology and validation will be used to verify that predicted human motions are accurate. The U.S. Army TARDEC funding will also be used to advance state-of-the-art clothing research to predict how a soldier performs while wearing nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) warfare clothing through the use of modeling and simulation tools to simulate physiological aspects of real soldiers.

UI project co-investigators are Tim Marler, VSR senior research scientist; Laura Frey Law, UI assistant professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science; and Steve Beck, VSR senior project manager.

Only three years after it was established, the VSR program has received more than $13 million in external funding and has attained national and international recognition, thanks to its ground-breaking research the team of 35 researchers has developed unique technologies for predicting human motion, technologies used to simulate how real people would execute a task as well as to simulate safety considerations in a military environment.

News from the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB) (March 4, 2007)
A new collaborative bioinformatics web site has been launched at http://bioinformatics.uiowa.edu/. The site combines to research expertise and resources available on the university campus, including those at the UI Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, a unit of the College of Engineering and Carver College of Medicine. The site contains information on training and research opportunities, along with information on studying bioinformatics at the UI.

Tom Casavant, Roy J. Carver, Jr. Chair in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and CBCB director, attended the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) Annual Meeting February 5-7 in Washington, D.C.

Terry Braun, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and CBCB researcher, gave a keynote bioinformatics address at the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics meeting in San Diego, CA, February 8-11, along with Abe Clark, research collaborator from Alcon Research Labs.

CBCB members Tom Casavant, Terry Braun, and Todd Scheetz, along with colleagues from the Carver College of Medicine, attended a joint scientific retreat February 13-15 in Tucson, AZ. This meeting brought together members of CBCB and the Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration, including molecular biologicists, medical geneticists, clinicians, statisticians and computer engineers.

CBCB members Tom Casavant and Terry Braun met February 17 with Ecolotree president and CEO and Engineering alumnus Lou Licht (PhD 1990 in civil and environmental engineering), along with Gene Parkin, Donald E. Bently Professor of Engineering and professor of civil and environmental engineering; Gene Savin, UI professor of economics; Ron Jones, president of an investment bank in Idaho; and Perry Ross, science curriculum director for the Iowa City Community School District, to discuss scientific, engineering, economic, political and educational issues surrounding sustainable bioeconomy and biofuels in Iowa.

Tom Casavant participated as a platform speaker in the Carver College of Medicine's annual faculty research retreat February 22 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Iowa City.

Virtual Soldier Research Program Receives $370,000 Commercialization Grant (February 25, 2007)
The Virtual Soldier Research (VSR) program housed in the UI Center for Computer Aided Design announced that it has received the Battelle Platform Technology grant from the state of Iowa. VSR leaders recently declared their intent to commercialize their software program called Santos(tm) in response to interest shown by various industries.

In fiscal 2007, the Iowa Legislature appropriated $20 million to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa for purposes of implementing economic development activities in biosciences, advanced manufacturing and information technology recommended in the Iowa Department of Economic Development's 2004-2005 Battelle reports. The legislation designates $6.8 million of the funding to be spent on "vertical infrastructure-related improvements associated with the implementation of the recommendations" and designates $8.2 million to be spent "for implementation of the recommendations."

The proposal written by VSR, titled "Commercialization of Santos(tm), a human simulation environment," was internally reviewed by the Office of the Vice President for Research, followed by a review by the Technology and Commercialization Resources Organization created by the Iowa Legislature, and final approval by the Board of Regents.

The initial funding will be used to advance the software toward commercialization, in terms of packaging, operability, added functionality, and deployability over various computer platforms.

The VSR Program was established in 2003 to conduct basic and applied research aimed at creating the most advanced human simulation tools. While the program was first aimed at the military, it has grown very rapidly over the past three years, attracting national and international attention and a significant amount of external funding to the UI. The VSR program has active partnerships with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command Center, Caterpillar, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center and Rockwell Collins, in addition to a new partnership with Ford, GM, and Chrysler. The new funding means that the VSR program has secured over $13 million in external funding in the past three years.

Among its many accomplishments, the VSR program has been featured on the Discovery Channel; exhibited at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles; exhibited at Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) in San Francisco; hosted the SAE Digital Human Modeling Conference, the most prestigious international conference of its kind; and won best paper awards three times through its researchers.

VSR researchers include faculty, staff, scientists, engineers, clinical researchers, and graduate students from fields including engineering, gaming, psychology, biomechanics, human factors, computers, optimization and industrial design. Additional information can be found at: http://www.digital-humans.org.

Lim Receives NIH Grant (February 12, 2007)
Tae-Hong Lim, professor of biomedical engineering, has received a two-year, $73,750 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, to study an animal model for discogenic low back pain.

UI Spin-off Company Earns $850,000 In Grants For Disease Treatment
Detection (December 16, 2006)
VIDA Diagnostics, a company located in the University of Iowa's Technology Innovation Center, has earned a $750,000, two-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance an imaging system that can detect and treat lung diseases including lung cancer and emphysema.

VIDA received a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, a highly competitive funding program used by the 10 largest federal agencies to fund small businesses that can meet the agencies' research and development interests. The program encourages small businesses to do research and development and then commercialize the technology. The SBIR Phase II grant was based on an earlier SBIR Phase I grant of $100,000 awarded two years ago for initial work on the imaging system.

The company also received an SBIR Phase I grant for $100,000 for a tissue classification technology called adaptive multiple feature method (AMFM) that has many potential uses in the areas of lung disease detection, early detection of emphysema and early detection of pulmonary
fibrosis. The initial AMFM patent has been issued to the University of Iowa Research Foundation (UIRF) with a second patent in the works, said John Garber, CEO of VIDA Diagnostics.

VIDA Diagnostics is a UI spin-off company based research done at the UI and core technology licensed from the UIRF. The company was founded by four UI faculty members: Dr. Eric Hoffman, professor of biomedical engineering, nursing, and radiology; Dr. Geoffrey McLennan, M.D., professor of internal medicine; Dr. Joseph M. Reinhardt, associate professor of biomedical engineering; and Dr. Milan Sonka, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

VIDA develops medical imaging and analysis software for assessing lung structure and function. VIDA's software solutions, based on research conducted at the UI, aid in the planning, guidance and evaluation of various therapeutic interventions for lung diseases. VIDA's customers include researchers at pulmonary device and pharmaceutical companies as well as researchers at leading lung research centers.

In particular, VIDA software capitalizes on the recent advances in lung imaging technology that provide detailed structural and functional information about lung tissue and airways. VIDA's "Pulmonary Workstation" technology uses this information to precisely locate lung abnormalities and determine pathways through the airways and lungs to access those abnormalities.

VIDA technology is likely to enhance emerging non-surgical therapies and diagnostic techniques for lung disease, including placement of therapeutic devices for emphysema and guidance of biopsy instruments through patients' airways. The emphysema therapy, which is currently in clinical trial, is called endoscopic lung volume reduction and requires precise and efficient placement of the devices. VIDA software aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of valve placements.

"Novel, endoscopic therapies for lung disease, such as endoscopic lung volume reduction, have raised nearly a half-billion dollars of investment capital and will transform pulmonary care in much the same way that angioplasty and stents transformed the cardiology space. VIDA's procedure planning applications are an ideal extension of our world-leading lung mapping methods and we expect them to improve the outcomes of these emerging therapies as well as improving the workflow for the physician," said Garber.

New Biosciences Display in Seamans Center Second Floor Lobby (November 5, 2006)
The College's South Entrance Lobby of the Seamans Center has a new display highlighting many of the areas of biosciences in which students, faculty, and staff are engaged. The display was designed by Gregory Gallagher, a sophomore majoring in cinema and currently serving as a student employee in the Dean's Office, and produced by UI Graphic Services. During the year, it will be used to showcase collegiate biosciences resources at state and regional conferences, economic development meetings, and other public events. The display is based on research areas of expertise collected from collegiate departments and research units, and located on line here.

Frey Law Wins Award at SAE Digital Human Modeling Conference (October 29, 2006)
Laura Frey Law, PhD, PT, won the Most Outstanding Small Group Presentation Award at the July, 2006 SAE Digital Human Modeling Conference in Lyon, France. The poster, ?Simulating Motor Units for Fatigue in Arm Muscles in Digital Humans,? Q. Yang, R.P.S. Han, and Frey Law, included their work on adapting a mathematical muscle model to the level of motor units to predict muscle fatigue.

To demonstrate the adapted model?s feasibility, they simulated an isometric elbow flexion task using three synergist muscles, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, and brachialis muscles, comparing their findings to experimentally obtained values. The new modeling approach was able to accurately predict time to fatigue, making it potentially useful for more generalized muscle modeling applications, such as digital human modeling.

Anton Joins VSR Team (October 22, 2006)
Dan Anton has joined the Virtual Soldier Research team at the UI Center for Computer-Aided Design. Anton joined the University of Iowa as associate research scientist in 2002 after receiving his Ph.D. in the UI Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and he joined the faculty as assistant professor in 2002. Anton had a distinguished career for over 13 years as a physical therapist. His area of research expertise is in physical exposure assessment, work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity and spine, electromyography, electrogoniometry, occupational epidemiology, research design, construction and agricultural musculoskeletal disorders.

BMESS Schedules Blood Drive for October 31 (October 22, 2006)
The Biomedical Engineering Student Society in conjunction with the DeGowin Blood Center will hold a blood drive from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. October 31 in the Second Floor Lobby of the Seamans Center.

Bio::Neos Receives Honorable Mention in Pappajohn Iowa Business
Plan Competition (October 15, 2006)