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    UW Researchers Improve Spirometry Testing and Asthma Care for Kids

    Spirometry, the measuring of breath, is the most common of the pulmonary function tests (PFTs), measuring lung function, and an important tool for assessing conditions such as asthma. Properly performed diagnostic spirometry and its correct interpretation are typically missing in primary care, and there are increasing calls for widespread training efforts to mitigate this deficiency. University of Washington researchers developed a suite of online resources… View More

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    Breakthrough Test for Bone Loss Stands Test of Time

    More than 10 million adults in the United States have osteoporosis — weak, brittle bones vulnerable to fracture. Another 35 million have low bone density that can progress to osteoporosis. Health care costs for osteoporosis-related fractures total about $20 billion annually in the U.S., and are rising with our aging population. Most people have no symptoms of the disease and may receive no treatment to… View More

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    Neurosurgeon and Bioengineer Aim for Paradigm Shift in Treatment of Hydrocephalus

    Advances in medical technology and surgical techniques have dramatically improved diagnosis and treatment of most disorders, saving and extending lives. Yet the technology revolution has bypassed a simple device used for 50 years to treat a relatively common but devastating condition in newborns — hydrocephalus, the excess accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. If this fluid is not continuously drained through a catheter and shunt system, the pressure buildup can damage brain tissue and expand the skull bones leading to fatal consequences. Continue reading →… View More

  • Dance Method DVD Expands a Teacher’s Audience

    “When are you going to make a video?” is a question Jennifer Salk, MFA, associate professor in the University of Washington dance program would get often from dance teachers attending her master classes and workshops. An expert in weaving anatomy instruction into dance technique classes, Salk has taught at the American Dance Festival, the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, and National Dance Education… View More

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    Start-up Company Focuses on New Approach to Treating Cancer

    When Professor André Lieber first disclosed his novel approach to cancer therapy in 2008, C4C technology manager Angela Loihl immediately recognized it could be “a winner.” Lieber’s team is the only one in the world working to block the action of a key cell surface receptor, CD46, a protein that is active in tumor cells and protects them from being killed by antibodies. The recombinant… View More

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    Fate Therapeutics Charts Destiny to World-Leading Stem Cell Company

    Fate Therapeutics is a three-year-old life sciences start-up with fewer than 50 employees, but it has already won high-profile attention. Earlier this year MIT’s Technology Review cited Fate as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world—alongside Apple, GlaxoSmithKline, and Tesla Motors—for its promising approach to stem cell therapy. And Fate was conceived at UW. Unlike companies that work with embryonic stem cells,… View More

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    Research could lead to more accurate testing for coronary artery disease

    Some 150 million blood lipid panels are done annually in the U.S. to assess levels of cholesterol, high-density (HDL “good”) and low-density (LDL “bad”) lipoproteins, and other substances that affect risk for coronary artery disease – the leading cause of death in the U.S. For the 80 percent of the population with levels in a broad range of normal, these tests are as accurate in… View More

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    Clinic’s pilot project taps into health care system inefficiencies

    America’s health care system is regularly in the news, with calls for increasing efficiency and effectiveness, expanding access, and reigning in escalating costs. Every health care dollar must be spent responsibly. Mental health and substance abuse problems affect one in four adults in the U.S. each year, and providers seek ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of their interventions to consumers, agencies, and third-party payers. A… View More

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    Applying mathematics in the fight against cancer

    Treatments for malignant brain tumors (glioma) vary little from one patient to the next and are limited to radiation, surgery, and drugs that often cause debilitating side effects with modest survival improvement. Mathematics might seem an unlikely addition to the mix, but could provide a powerful new tool enabling more accurate prognosis and more personalized treatment that could improve quality of care and of life.… View More

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    Researcher’s skill set tackles monitoring of abnormal heart rhythms

    David Linker is a UW cardiologist with engineering training and the technical chops to invent a device to improve monitoring and diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common abnormality in heart rhythm. The UW Center for Commercialization began working with Linker in 2004, providing a Commercialization Gap Fund award to develop a prototype device and identifying additional support from the Washington Research Foundation. Five… View More