UVA School of Medicine Faculty News Weekly Round-Up
September 15
• Doctors Can Now Predict the Severity of Disease Just by Measuring Molecules
Gene mutations that cause disease physically alter the interactions of molecules that cells use to communicate with each other. Until now, scientists have had no easy way to measure the incredibly subtle changes in these interaction forces. But researcher J. Julius Zhu of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and his collaborators have developed a method to accurately and efficiently calculate these tiny changes, using a high-tech scientific instrument called “optical tweezers.”
It’s a feat that requires incredible precision: Force is typically measured in newtons – the amount of force needed to accelerate one kilogram of mass one meter per second squared – but Zhu’s technique measures on a scale of piconewtons – one-trillionth of a newton.
Zhu and his team have described their work in an article published online by the journal Small.
UVA School of Medicine faculty contributing the article include the following:
Zhu, PhD, Professor, Pharmacology
Guangfu Wang, PhD, Research Scientist, Pharmacology
Read more: https://news.virginia.edu/content/doctors-can-now-predict-severity-disease-just-measuring-molecules
• NBC 29 UVA House Call: Dr. Shayna Showalter on New Clinical Trial for Precision Breast IORT
Showalter, MD, is Assistant Professor of Surgery at UVA School of Medicine.
Watch the interview: http://www.nbc29.com/clip/13710771/uva-house-call-dr-shayna-showalter-on-new-clinical-trial-for-precision-breast-iort
—
Did we miss something? If you have UVA School of Medicine faculty news to share, please email christa@virginia.edu.
Filed Under: News
Comments