This is an exciting time for basic research at the University of Virginia Health System. Current projects that researchers are working on include restoring hearing loss, finding the causes of vascular inflammation, targeting viruses and cancer cells, advancing knowledge of the human epigenome and understanding the important interaction between healthy cells and dying cells. Two new research facilities — the Carter-Harrison Research Building, which will accommodate research on vaccine therapy, immunology, infectious diseases, cancer and other areas of biomedicine; and a new translational research facility that will house programs that convert laboratory findings into new treatments, new medicines and new methods of prevention and early detection of disease — will take research at the Health System to new dimensions. Full story.

U.Va. Health System

Some of the University of Virginia’s top researchers got the opportunity to demonstrate how federal funding has been supporting their cutting-edge research during a visit by Congressman Virgil Goode (far right) on April 12. Goode met with U.Va. President John T. Casteen III, vice president and provost Gene Block, vice president for research and graduate studies Ariel Gomez and School of Engineering dean James Aylor. Goode was briefed on innovative research in the Departments of Chemical and Civil Engineering involving alternative and sustainable energy and transportation modeling. He also toured the research labs of professors Steven McIntosh (far left), Matthew Neurock (second from left), Brian Smith and Bob Davis. Erin Maris (center) and Surbi Jain (second from right) are U.Va. graduate students who work in Davis’ lab.

U.Va. News Services/Photo: Andrew Shurtleff