From lab to real life: innovative approaches to precision medicine

Whether collaborating with the National Football League to study hamstring injuries, addressing the data gap in female musculoskeletal modeling research or simulating the effects of estrogen levels on muscle regeneration, biomedical engineering professor Silvia Salinas Blemker and her colleagues at the University of Virginia are pioneering health care advancements. In recognition of her outstanding work in translational research and entrepreneurship, Blemker received the 2024 Goel Award for Translational Research in Biomechanics from the American Society of Biomechanics.

“I am honored to win this award that recognizes the work that my students, collaborators and I have done over the last several years,” said Blemker, the Robert Thomson Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering. “It has been incredibly rewarding to be part of the translation process, including exploring the process of commercialization and clinical implementation of core technologies and concepts developed in the lab.” 

Blemker leads the Multi-scale Muscle Mechanophysiology Lab at UVA, which has spearheaded the development of tools and approaches for modeling skeletal muscle physiology and pathophysiology for nearly two decades. 

Her research also led to the UVA spinout company Springbok Analytics, where she is a co-founder and chief science officer. Through the company, she’s helped develop an artificial intelligence-powered software that turns MRI scans into 3D analyses of muscles. Her work has generated numerous patents and commercial products that bring better precision-based medicine to a wider range of people. 

“Professor Blemker is one of the most creative researchers I have ever met or had the pleasure to work with,” said Shayn Peirce-Cottler, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “She has advanced the frontiers of the biomechanics field through her fearlessness in introducing and deploying entirely new computational modeling approaches that others have since adopted.” 

The Goel Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in translational biomechanics research, entrepreneurship and societal benefit. Selection is based on originality, quality and depth of research and the commercial and societal benefits emanating from the research. 

About UVA Engineering: As part of the top-ranked, comprehensive University of Virginia, UVA Engineering is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected engineering schools. Our mission is to make the world a better place by creating and disseminating knowledge and by preparing future engineering leaders. Outstanding students and faculty from around the world choose UVA Engineering because of our growing and internationally recognized education and research programs. UVA is the No. 1 public engineering school in the country for the percentage of women graduates, among schools with at least 75 degree earners; among the top engineering schools in the United States for the four-year graduation rate of undergraduate students; and among the top-growing public engineering schools in the country for the rate of Ph.D. enrollment growth. Our research program has grown by 95% since 2016. Learn more at engineering.virginia.edu.