Digest -- U.Va. Top News Daily

Courtesy of Paul Meier

Meier Moves From U.Va. to the Ski Slopes of Torino
A master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education well conditioned Paul Meier (center) for the job of his dreams. Meier, shown with alpine skiers Daron Rahlves (left) and Bode Miller (right) — two of the biggest medal hopefuls competing in this year’s Winter Olympic Games — is a driving force behind the U.S. men’s alpine ski team, making sure that, as their athletic trainer, each skier is in champion condition when taking to the slopes. “Having the opportunity to work with some great athletes and coaches, ski every day, travel the world and practice athletic training is a dream come true,” Meier said. (Feb. 10)

Researchers Develop Highly Accurate Test for Diagnosing Bladder Cancer
Diagnosing bladder cancer was often difficult because the tests available weren’t precise or sensitive enough to pinpoint the disease. Dr. Dan Theodorescu and his team from the University of Virginia Paul Mellon Prostate Cancer Institute have created a very specific test that not only correctly identified all samples of known cancer but also identified all samples from healthy subjects in a clinical study, all by using a urine sample from the patient. “We are working hard to get this technology or a variation of it in the clinical labs, where we will not only diagnose cancer noninvasively, but we also will determine how the cancer will behave and how best to treat it,” Theodorescu said. (Feb. 10)