WV-INBRE Awards Grant to Fairmont State University to Purchase Neuromuscular Diagnostic and Imaging Equipment
Fairmont State University has received $71,101 in grant funding through the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (WV-INBRE) to equip the Applied Biomechanics & Human Performance Laboratories with peripheral nerve stimulation, ultrasound, and electromyography equipment. This funding was secured with the assistance of Fairmont State University’s Office of Sponsored Programs.
This equipment will significantly bolster the research capabilities of current faculty and students. Dr. Shawn Reese, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science, will oversee the purchase and implementation of a Cadwell Sierra Summit neurodiagnostic system, a Mindray MX7 Portable Ultrasound, and a Delsys Trigno Centro Avanti Electromyography (EMG) System.
“Acquiring this clinical-grade, portable neuromuscular diagnostic and imaging equipment fundamentally transforms what we can achieve in our laboratory and the experience we can offer to our undergraduate and graduate students. We now have the capability to look below the surface to measure and quantify muscle changes over time, muscle architecture, nerve conduction, muscle activation, and more,” said Reese.
This equipment will be accessible to graduate students in the College of Education, Health, and Human Performance, as well as to undergraduate students pursuing independent study projects or those enrolled in exercise science classes focused on research.
Equipping the Applied Biomechanics and Human Performance laboratories with these instruments will make Fairmont State a site of data collection on collaborative research projects.
“This funding allows us to ask deeper, more sophisticated questions about human movement, fatigue, and neuromuscular health in young adults, and how those mechanisms change as we age, ultimately impacting critical aspects of mobility such as balance and fall risk,” Reese added.
In addition to research, this equipment also can be incorporated into classroom curriculum. The Cadwell Sierra Summit, a non-invasive, clinical grade neuromuscular diagnostic system, will be used to teach complex neuromuscular concepts to exercise science students.
The Mindray MX7 Portable Ultrasound is capable of exceptional image clarity and can be used to observe the heart, blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and tendons. Its ability to detect blood flow in the heart and the blood vessels of the limbs will allow Fairmont State faculty to integrate the equipment into their instruction on cardiac and pulmonary evaluation techniques. The MX7 platform is also able to be upgraded to expand its functions over time.
The addition of the wireless Trigno Centro system allows researchers to simultaneously capture synchronized high resolution muscle activation and kinematic data during movement for biomechanics research. This will be integrated into graduate lab techniques and undergraduate research methods and design courses for health and human performance students.
