5 WVU Research Projects Addressing Today's Real-World Problems

From humble beginnings, WVU has distinguished itself as a top academic institution. It’s classified as an R1 university – the highest research classification doctoral universities can receive by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. R1 institutions are at the forefront of research and innovation and receive federal or private funding specifically for their academic research.

Graduate programs and students make innovative contributions that impact their field and the world, like the five examples below:

1. WVU researcher studies incurable blood disease usually diagnosed in children:

Wei Du, an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, is investigating the link between how stem cells make energy and how Fanconi anemia develops. The disease makes it harder for bone marrow to churn out the blood cells our bodies need to fight illnesses, stanch bleeding and transport oxygen. It also makes repairing damaged DNA more difficult. 

Du and her research team discovered that, in animal models of Fanconi anemia, stem cells tended to use aerobic—or oxygen-based—processes to make energy. That’s unusual: normally stem cells found in bone marrow and blood prefer an anaerobic process that doesn’t rely on oxygen. This metabolic distinction suggests that Fanconi anemia’s diverse symptoms—from fatigue and shortness of breath, to frequent bruising and nosebleeds—may hinge on cellular-level energy production. 

Her insights might even deepen researchers’ understanding of gene-therapy techniques. “If you know more about diseases of the stem cell—how they regulate energy, and how they regulate differentiation and self-renewal—you probably can improve gene therapy as well,” Du said. “If you can manually balance the energy production of the diseased stem cells then maybe this can be a benefit when you harvest those gene-delivery cells and transplant them into the patient.” 

2. WVU research team approved for NASA grant for early-stage space technologies:

A research team from West Virginia University has been approved for a grant from a NASA fund designed to determine the feasibility of early stage technologies that could go on to change what’s possible in space.

Inspired by spiders’ ballooning capabilities, the project, Micro-probes Propelled and Powered by Planetary Atmospheric Electricity, envisions the deployment of thousands of micro probes to study planetary atmospheres. Each micro probe will have a small payload pod hanging under a string loop, which provides both atmospheric drag and electrostatic lifts. Two electric booms will sense the atmospheric potential gradient and harvest a small amount of electricity for powering the probe. 

The funded technologies have the potential to transform human and robotic exploration of other worlds, including the Moon and Mars. Only about six percent of the concepts submitted are selected for Phase One awards. If initial feasibility studies are successful, awardees can apply for Phase Two awards.

3. WVU researcher studies bystander behavior in sexual-assault prevention:

What if sexual-violence prevention focused less on what potential victims do and more on what potential bystanders do?

West Virginia University researcher Danielle Davidov is examining violence-prevention programs that teach potential bystanders to short-circuit situations that are charged with violence. They give participants strategies for intervening in risky situations—for example, if they hear one person call another a sexually degrading name, or see a semiconscious person dragged out of a bar. They also make bystanders more likely to intervene if the need arises, rather than staying silent. 

4. WVU researcher details evidence that the HIV epidemic is partially fueled by national opioid crisis:

Infectious diseases expert Sally Hodder, director of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute and associate vice president for clinical and translational science at West Virginia University, was part of a national team that published “AIDS in America – Back in the Headlines at Long Last,” a perspective that provides detailed information about the ongoing HIV epidemic.

“There are proven strategies that we can use to help fight this epidemic,” Hodder said. “Critically important is addressing the various barriers that are preventing individuals with HIV from getting the help they need. We have the science to end HIV in the U.S., but do we have the will to do so?” 

5. WVU psychologists receive NIH award to seek cures for chronic traumatic brain injuries:

Survivors of TBI often experience chronic psychiatric symptoms such as increased risky decision-making and impulsivity, yet there are not treatments available.  

Researchers at West Virginia University are working to find solutions to help these patients improve their everyday quality of life. Cole Vonder Haar, an assistant professor of behavioral neuroscience in the WVU Department of Psychology, has received a five-year, $989,210 award from the National Institutes of Health to investigate potential treatments for psychiatric deficits arising from chronic TBI. While most research is focused on the immediate effects of TBI and preventing further damage, Vonder Haar and his team aspire to address long-term effects, including behavioral changes in decision-making, impulsivity and attention span. 

“We hope to learn a lot about what that damage causes, how that translates to these functional impairments and how these treatments might be able to address them,” Vonder Haar said.

WVU is dedicated to innovative research.