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By Jörg C. Gerlach, MD, PhD,McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, PA

There is a clinical need for improved therapy of burn victim patients, for example soldiers who received extreme traumatic burns in the line of duty. Victims suffering from full thickness -3rd degree- burns often die, because the therapy of choice (surgical skin mesh auto grafting) is limited by the availability of healthy skin cell area. read more

The virtual autopsy is one of the greatest advances in forensic medicine in the past hundred years. With the aid of three-dimensional X-ray techniques, virtual and bloodless autopsies are now being performed on suspected victims of crime. CMIV (the Centre for Medical Image Science and Visualisation) at Linköping University Hospital, NVIS (Norrköpings Visualisation and Interaction Studio) and the National Board of Forensic Medicine in Linköping are world leaders in the field of virtual autopsies. This project is part of the Swedish Visualisation research programme. Behind the programme are the Knowledge Foundation, the Foundation for Strategic Research, Vinnova, Vårdalstiftelsen (the Foundation for Health Care Sciences and Allergy Research) and the Invest in Sweden Agency. A total of SEK 85 million is being invested over five years.

Kai Kostack has recently posted an amazing video tour of the human body using Blender. The simulation is in real time and hasn’t been possible until now, thanks to the latest GLSL features and speedups of Blender over the past year. read more

Intuitive Surgical leads the development and commercialization of robotic technology designed to extend the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to broadest possible base of patients. Intuitive’s products can provide surgeons with all the clinical and technical capabilities of traditional open surgery while enabling them to operate through tiny incisions. read more

Silkworm cocoons shipped by the boxful from Japan to an optics lab at Tufts University will meet a different fate from those headed to textile factories around the world. Rather than being woven into curtains or clothing, the strong protein fibers that caterpillars once spun around themselves will be used to build optical materials that can serve as the basis for sensors and other devices. Bioengineer Fiorenzo Omenetto, who creates the devices, ultimately hopes to build implantable, biodegradable sensors that could help monitor patients’ progress after surgery or track chronic diseases such as diabetes. read more