His tiny invention could put a wrap on one of surgery’s painstaking challenges
In developing Nerve Tape, VCU Health surgeon-researcher Jonathan Isaacs created a simple, suture-free solution for repairing severed nerves.
What do fishing hooks, jewelry and scotch tape have in common? They all played a part in the development of Nerve Tape, a tiny biologic wrap that could revolutionize surgery.
Fifteen years ago,Jonathan Isaacs, M.D., a professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’sDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and chair of VCU Health’s Division of Hand Surgery, set his sights on solving a maddening problem: When faced with repairing severed peripheral nerves – a condition that can happen, for example, as a result of a mastectomy or even a bad fall – even the most skilled surgeons could only promise patients a 50-50 chance at full recovery.
VCU innovators look to streamline pacemaker procedures and safety
University grants fuel two clinical tools created to improve implantation accuracy and device management.
A pair of innovations by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are making headway in two critical areas of pacemaker care: how devices are implanted, and how they are managed during surgery. Both innovations have received support from VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, a division of the VCU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
VCU Center for Drug Discovery realigns to advance innovative therapies
In the world of drug development, university researchers play a critical role in creating promising new therapies. Under the leadership of new director Yan Zhang, Ph.D., the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Drug Discovery is undergoing a major transformation — realigning its structure to mirror the industry-standard drug development pipeline and expanding to become a true VCU-wide hub for translational research.
Historically, the center operated without a formally integrated infrastructure. But Zhang has rebuilt the center to mimic the full continuum of drug development — from target discovery and molecular design to preclinical testing and potentially early-stage clinical trials.
Five VCU faculty researchers inducted into National Academy of Inventors
Five Virginia Commonwealth University researchers spanning a range of disciplines were inducted last week into the university chapter of the National Academy of Inventors. The organization founded in 2010 includes more than 4,600 members worldwide and recognizes inventors who hold U.S. patents.
“These new members are among VCU’s best and brightest researchers and inventors, and we recognize not only their contributions to Virginia, but also to the world,” said Ivelina Metcheva, Assistant Vice President for Innovation and head of VCU TechTransfer and Ventures. “While there is much uncertainty in the federal research landscape, those of us who work at VCU in research remain focused on the goal and mission: advancing our science, discovery and innovation, and translating our intellectual property into economic prosperity across the region and the Commonwealth.”
Plus: Panel of Commercialization Experts share six pieces of guidance for researchers
Discover the inductees and the advice from our expert panel...
VCU inventor gives lawmakers a look at the virtual reality treatment that is serving veterans’ mental health
Jarrod Reisweber has guided hundreds of veterans through anxiety, depression and addiction — all through the screen of a virtual reality headset. This month, lawmakers got their own view when the Virginia Commonwealth University professor and his VR colleagues visited Washington to demo the technology.
Reisweber, Psy.D., is an affiliate assistant professor in VCU’s Department of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences, as well as a clinical psychologist at the Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System. He developed the VR treatment, which introduces patients to therapy inside of a serene, virtual lakeside cabin, to help combat the addiction crisis among veterans. This month, Reisweber traveled to Washington alongside Richmond-based visual effects artist Mark Lambert and Lambert’s team from Lighthouse XR, who developed the program with Reisweber. There, they hosted a demo of the technology, called Transcending Self Therapy at The Retreat, for lawmakers during a conference hosted by The Science Coalition.
A Canadian startup is promoting the work of VCU engineering professor whose nano-antennas could power new generations of medical and communications devices
The devices are one in a portfolio of technologies from Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the College of Humanities and Sciences’ Department of Physics. He is on the cutting edge of developing next-generation, low-power “nano-antennas,” which could change how many communication devices are built and used.
“This work has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries — like medical implants that communicate via electromagnetic waves and never need a battery replacement, to ultra-efficient on-chip wireless communication systems to stealth devices for defense and crime-fighting,” Bandyopadhyay said. “We are breaking fundamental limitations in antenna design to make devices smaller, smarter and more energy-efficient. This could redefine how we connect and interact with technology in the future.”
VCU researchers developing a long-acting medication for opioid addiction
As the United States grapples with an unrelenting opioid crisis, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have reformulated an opioid use disorder medication in a way that could extend its therapeutic effect – and offer a longer-lasting pharmaceutical therapy for treating opioid addiction.
By mapping millions of cells, VCU researchers are gaining new insights into pediatric respiratory conditions
The School of Dentistry’s Kevin Matthew Byrd is part of a multinational effort to map the millions of cells that make up respiratory systems in children. Creating an atlas of these systems in unprecedented detail will allow health experts to better understand and treat diseases and respiratory conditions that commonly impact pediatric populations, such as viral and bacterial infections, asthma and allergies.
22 VCU health sciences schools and departments rank in top 50 for NIH research funding
Five of Virginia Commonwealth University’s health sciences schools and departments rank in the top 15 for National Institutes of Health research funding in their fields among public institutions, according to new rankings from the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Overall, six VCU health sciences schools/colleges and 16 departments placed in the top 50 among public institutions for fiscal year 2024.
VCU startup wins $800k grant to propel its infection-fighting surgical gel
With an innovation that could advance brain and spinal surgeries, a Virginia Commonwealth University startup has received an $800,000 state grant to support development of its infection-fighting gel.
Pascal Medical Corp. is one of four grant recipients to receive awards from Virginia Catalyst, a nonprofit created by the General Assembly and funded by the state’s general fund and seven public research universities, including VCU. The goal of the Catalyst, says CEO Mike Grisham, is to provide funding that helps industry partners and academic investigators raise follow-on investments.
Two VCU researchers named National Academy of Inventors senior members
Youngman Oh, Ph.D., and Jason Reed, Ph.D., are part of a class of 162 academic inventors honored across 64 member institutions, including universities, government agencies and nonprofits.
From fingers to toes, wearable and vibrating technology from VCU inventors could help Parkinson’s patients and others
A flexible, lightweight glove and 3D-printed shoe sole might restore the brain-body feedback loop that mobility conditions can disrupt. The technology, described in January in Biosensors & Bioelectronics, includes a glove and a 3D-printed shoe sole designed for people with Parkinson’s, as well as an adaptation for prosthetic leg users. Coupled with pressure sensors and paired through Bluetooth wireless connection, the vibrating devices could help address “freezing of gait,” which is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s.
“There’s this feedback loop between the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system,” which includes all nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, said Phillip Glass, the study’s first author and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics in the College of Humanities and Sciences. “The brain is constantly talking to the peripheral nervous system, including the sensors in the fingertips and feet.”
A commitment to membrane proteins has rendered technology that has placed Youzhong Guo, Ph.D., on the radar of some of the largest players in the biopharmaceutical industry — capping off a 2024 that included a startup formation and one very large research publication.
“This technology has huge potential for new drug discovery,” said Guo, an associate professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry in the VCU School of Pharmacy. “With our technique, many drug targets can now be explored to develop new medicines, including small molecules and therapeutic antibodies.”
Creating Better Therapies for Patients with Lung Fibrosis
Patricia J. Sime, M.D., chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at VCU Health, is a dedicated clinician and researcher leading efforts to develop new therapies for lung fibrosis.
This devastating disease causes progressive scarring in the lungs, leaving patients short of breath and struggling with everyday activities.
In her lab at VCU, Dr. Sime and her team, including post-doctoral trainee Margaret Freeberg, Ph.D. made a breakthrough discovery: a receptor that can sense stiffness in scarred tissue. This finding, linked to a Nobel Prize-winning discovery, could hold the key to halting the fibrosis process. In a healthy lung, the tissue is flexible and able to expand and contract with breathing, but in fibrosis, the lung tissue becomes stiff and less able to function.
Pioneering Gene Replacement Therapies for Muscular Dystrophy
Nick Johnson, M.D. and Melissa Hale, Ph.D. are moving fast to combat a debilitating and incurable disease.
Their research effort at the Center for Inherited Myology Research targets limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. LGMD is the fourth most common form of muscular dystrophy (MD), a group of genetic diseases causing muscles to progressively weaken and break down. LGMD impacts muscles in the arms, legs and hips.
In Treating Liver Cancer, Young Researcher Sees the Light
Kush Savsani is the definition of VCU’s “Every Ram’s a Researcher” initiative.
In the gap years between finishing as a VCU Honors College biology undergrad and starting at the VCU School of Medicine, Savsani began working with VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center robotics surgeon Seung Duk Lee, M.D., Ph.D. There, Savsani researched hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC, one of the most aggressive forms of liver cancer and the fifth-most prevalent cancer in the world.
Ingrid Pretzer-Aboff, Ph.D., RN, and her team are on the doorstep of commercializing technology that will help a tough-to-treat patient population. Her research — and now her company — are focused on creating a device that will help patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The plan: real-world impact for those struggling with what is known as freezing of gait. Freezing of gait often leads to falls or forces patients to remain homebound out of fear of falls or becoming “stuck”.
It all follows a commitment she made at the beginning of her career.
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