Dear colleagues, community members, and friends,
As our thoughts turn toward Thanksgiving, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my deep appreciation for everyone at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Because of our faculty, staff, students, advisory board members, as well as the many supporters in the community and beyond, the institute’s research and educational contributions bring pride to Virginia Tech, the Roanoke community, and our state.
As one example of the Virginia Tech motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), our Molecular Diagnostics Lab, located in the new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute building, was selected as one of three OneLab Network Tier 2 laboratories to provide COVID-19 testing across Virginia. In addition to this important contribution in service of the public health, scientists at the institute and across Virginia Tech are carrying out innovative research on the novel coronavirus to elucidate the disease’s pathogenesis, and to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics.
Please join me in recognizing all of the front-line workers who contribute to our safety and well-being every day. Today, Monday, Nov. 23, is Public Health Thank You Day. Please show your gratitude for our community's health care workers, researchers, laboratory personnel, and first responders who are working hard to protect us all from the pandemic.
We invite you to tune into our upcoming Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture, "Reconciling Privacy and Accountability: the Context of COVID-19," on Dec. 3. And as we approach the holiday season, please remain vigilante by staying safe, wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding indoor gatherings of any kind, and following all public health guidelines to stop the spread.
In the spirit of Ut Prosim,
Michael J. Friedlander, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Vice President for Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech
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Virginia Tech lab joins network to expand COVID-19 testing across state
Virginia Tech has been selected as one of three exclusive OneLab Network Tier 2 laboratories to expand COVID-19 testing capacity across Virginia. Now, the Virginia Tech lab located at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC could receive samples from any health district in the state, depending on where the greatest need is. Read More
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Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists provide new evidence of elusive electrical pathway in the heart
The research team, led by associate professor Steven Poelzing, Ph.D., discovered they could improve irregular heart rhythms – even when the heart’s blood supply was completely shut off – just by altering concentrations of common electrolytes in the bloodstream. This discovery could have important implications for the prevention and treatment of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Read More
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New Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientist pursues heart disease treatments
Scott Johnstone, Ph.D., who joined the research institute's Center for Heart and Reparative Medicine Research this summer, studies the proteins involved in heart disease progression, and the body’s inflammatory response. The lab researches how certain molecules are involved in rapid cell division, or cell proliferation – a process underlying multiple diseases, including heart disease and cancers. Read More
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Take a virtual tour through each wing of the new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC expansion in Roanoke with the institute's founding executive director and Virginia Tech's vice president for health sciences and technology, Michael Friedlander, Ph.D. Watch Video
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Making transformative discoveries to build a healthier future for all
Virginia Tech and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute are providing rapid COVID-19 sample analysis to help control the pandemic in support of our local community, the Commonwealth, and frontline responders. Private support is critical to continue these efforts. Here are some ways that you can support the research institute right now, in light of COVID-19:
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