News

Fighting traffic congestion with computer power What's the best way to tame traffic congestion in Birmingham? UAB transportation expert Virginia Sisiopiku, Ph.D., and her colleagues have developed highly detailed digital models of local roadways to find out. The simulated streets enable the researchers to add lanes and shift vehicle demand, for example, to see how the changes would impact traffic flow, travel times, pollution, and other factors.

“In the past, the answer to traffic was to build new roads and add new lanes, but we have come to the conclusion that this does not work,” Sisiopiku says. “Eventually, your money and available space run out, and the traffic is still clogged. We are looking at ways to reduce traffic congestion and the consequences—everything from increased travel times to pollution—without building more infrastructure.”

Breakthroughs

Diamonds are a knee’s (and hip’s) best friend New UAB research may help improve the next generation of artificial knee and hip joint implants needed by more than 700,000 Americans each year. Nanodiamonds designed to toughen artificial joints also might prevent the inflammation caused when metal joints shed debris into the body, according to an early study published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia by Vinoy Thomas, Ph.D., research associate in the Department of Physics within the UAB College of Arts & Sciences. His team found that diamond coatings, at least in early cell studies, are also less toxic and cause less pain and inflammation than conventional metal, polymer or plastic implants. 

“Our results add to the early evidence that nanodiamonds are indeed nontoxic in living cells,” says Thomas. “The next step will be to conduct experiments to confirm where nanodiamond particles of varying sizes and concentrations end up, and if buildup at those destinations is safe.”

New drug for CF tested at UAB The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first drug to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis – marketed under the name Kalydeco. Kalydeco, which was tested in four trials at UAB, is approved for people with CF ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene.

Around Campus