Dawn Elliott went halfway across the world to find a research collaborator, but it was well worth the trip.

Elliott, professor and chair of biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware, uses mathematical models and mechanical testing to better understand the function and behavior of soft tissues such as intervertebral discs, which support and distribute loads and permit motions of the spine.

More than 10,000 miles away, in Adelaide, Australia, John Costi is also working to understand the mechanisms of spine disc degeneration and tissue injury in the Biomechanics and Implants Laboratory at Flinders University.

Costi’s experimental capabilities are a perfect complement to Elliott’s predictive models, and the two have been collaborating since 2013. Read more.