Muscles play a pivotal role throughout our bodies, not just in our day-to-day functions but also as foundational elements in our journey towards healthy aging. At the forefront of exploring this intricate system is Dr. Silvia Blemker and her dedicated team at the M3 Lab at the University of Virginia. Their innovative approach weaves together advanced imaging, hands-on experimentation, and sophisticated computational methods to delve deep into the anatomy and mechanics of muscles, shedding light on various muscle-related diseases.

Through her venture, Springbok Analytics, Dr. Blemker is revolutionizing the way we understand muscle health. By harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and merging it with the precision of MRI technology, her team is crafting real-time, detailed models of muscles. This breakthrough initiative is not just about enhancing athletic performance or speeding up recovery but is also a key player in the prevention of muscle diseases.

In the latest installment of Biomedical Frontiers: Stories with Innovators in Healthcare, Dr. Blemker takes us on a journey through the evolution of Biomedical Engineering as a discipline. She shares her approach to leveraging AI to accelerate the pace of developing Springboks Analytics technologies for more applications. Dr. Blemker also introduces us to one of her groundbreaking projects, funded by the NIH, aimed at developing precise, sex-specific musculature models.This project promises to equip future researchers with robust tools for studying women's muscle systems with unparalleled accuracy, ensuring that gender disparities in medical research are addressed head-on.

Follow Dr. Blemker on Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-blemker/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UvaM3Lab

M3 Lab: http://www.uvam3lab.com/

Learn about Springbok Analytics: https://www.springbokanalytics.com/

To enroll in the study for developing a computational method that will be able to accurately examine how sex differences in muscles and bones influence the lower limbs during movement reach out to Dr. Silvia Blemker at ssblemker@virginia.edu or fill out this form: https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bEFhlTljsxcAEUm

Director & Host: Dasha Tyshlek, StratCraft, Inc. www.strat-craft.com

Executive Producer: David Chen, Managing Director & Instructor of Engineering Design, UVA

Senior Producer: Hannah Moore, Associate Director, UVA Coulter

Design Director: Carolyn Wagner, Inc. & Link: carolynwagnerinc.com

Produced on behalf of Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at University of Virginia https://engineering.virginia.edu/research/centers-institutes/coulter