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“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” — Zora Neale Hurston, an American author and anthropologist

Today’s itinerary:

Enhancing VR
Better disease detection
$20 million to fight brain disorders
Over $100 million in Fueling the Future
Merging AI and psychology
Name that Flyover City!

MAY 21, 2020

FLYOVER U RESEARCH

Carnegie Mellon students develop touch enhancement to virtual reality

Photo courtesy Carnegie Mellon University

Virtual reality applications are stunning to see. The technology can trick you into thinking you’re in another world or render fantastic environments in great detail. But the impact could be so much greater if you could not only see but touch the virtual world around you.

Student researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are trying to eliminate that limitation by letting users feel their way through the landscape and touch objects around them. A baseball player could feel the bat or a shopper could feel the fabric at a virtual furniture store.

The key to this magic is wires. Lead student researcher Cathy Fang and her team developed a wire string mechanism that ties to the fingers and operates strings built into a mechanism similar to that in a retractable keychain or lanyard. The mechanism provides haptic resistance that simulates touch.

The students dubbed the device “Wireality” and believe it could be mass-produced for $35. The Association for Computing Machinery published the team’s research paper as part of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

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Missouri researchers develop early disease detection system

Researchers at Missouri S&T have collaborated with experts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a biomedical diagnostics process to assist in early disease detection.

Dr. Risheng Wang, an assistant professor of chemistry at Missouri S&T, said the new, super-sensitive DNA biosensor can detect, transmit, and record information about substances such as nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies. Made of carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles, the sensors could help unearth early biomarkers for diagnosis and genetic disorders, along with monitoring patient responses to therapies.

“Biosensing with nanomaterials have the advantages of greater sensitivity and faster response than traditional analytical methods that require today’s medical devices and time-consuming molecular amplification techniques,” Wang said. He recently published study results in the American Chemical Society journal Analytical Chemistry.

$20 million gift to Vandy will fund treatments for brain disorders

Vanderbilt University has received a $20 million gift from the William K. Warren Foundation to develop drug treatments for the most devastating and vexing brain disorders. The gift establishes the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, the new name for Vandy’s center of research into neuroscience. The center researches drug treatments that may prevent Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s Disease, among other brain disorders.

Vanderbilt researchers have recently developed promising compounds, including one called VU319, which is now in human FDA clinical trials. The drug could help slow the memory loss that accompanies various cognitive diseases. In addition to support for research, the gift will create an endowment that will fund a long-term pipeline of research leaders.

“The basis of any remarkable scientific advancement begins first with unlocking fundamental knowledge,” said Lawrence Marnett, dean of basic sciences in Vandy’s School of Medicine. “This work often takes years of patient, systematic trial and error. Yet, the ultimate benefit to society can be transformational.”

CINCINNATI FUTURE TAKES FLIGHT

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FUELING THE FUTURE

North Carolina Biotechnology Center funds life sciences research

Crop protection, gene editing, and a better sweetener are just a few of the emerging technologies getting a leg up from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The non-profit Research Triangle Park organization awarded 13 loans and grants totaling $1.8 million this spring to universities and bioscience companies. The awards focused on life science research, entrepreneurship, and bringing technology to market.

Universities working on bioscience research received $712,973 in grants to advance their research. Duke’s Medical Center will expand its genomics datasets, UNC will work on new drugs and biotherapeutics, and Wake Forest will study diabetes and obesity. Additional smaller grants will fund East Carolina University, NC State, UNC Charlotte, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington on projects ranging from CRISPER gene editing to pheromones to a re-engineered stevia sweetener.

Indy software developer lands $3.1M

Encamp, an environmental, health, and safety software platform based in Indianapolis, has raised $3.1 million in Series A funding. The investment was led by Allos Ventures and High Alpha Capital.

Gene therapy company secures $80.5M in Series A round

Kriya Therapeutics, which has offices in Durham, NC, and Palo Alto, CA, has just secured $80.5 million in Series A financing. The company will use the investment to develop gene therapies for treating diabetes and severe obesity.

Chicago-based Tock raises $10M

Tock recently announced that it has raised an oversubscribed $10 million financing, led by Valor Siren Ventures. The company handles reservations, table management, and carryout operations for close to 3,000 restaurants in 28 countries.

NC software startup closes $3.3M round

Raleigh’s MemberHub, a “family & community software platform for parent-teacher organizations,” has raised $3.3 million in an oversubscribed round led by VentureSouth, with participation by several new and existing investors.

Cybersecurity firm raises $12.5M in funding

Columbus-based Finite State has raised $12.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Energy Impact Partners. The company builds technology that “uncovers vulnerabilities and threats in the supply chain of IoT and connected devices.”

FINAL APPROACH

Knoxville’s Lirio is merging AI and psychology to improve health

When you think of wellness, artificial intelligence and behavior science might not spring to mind. But that’s what Knoxville-based Lirio is working on. By applying concepts of behavior science to the company’s AI tech, Lirio hopes to help healthcare systems tailor care to individual patients and to encourage patients to be better participants in their own wellness. The ultimate goal is not only better healthcare outcomes but also reduced costs for patients, healthcare facilities, and governments.

Lirio’s behavioral reinforcement learning lab helps patients and their caregivers make sure patients show up for appointments and tend to their medical needs, such as diabetes management. The company helps healthcare systems communicate with patients on an individualized basis via call centers, email, text, or patient portals. The messages are based on patients’ individual health status and needs, and even take into account family history, in an effort to provide personalized medicine.

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

It's ... Name that Flyover city!

Useless information that is strangely fascinating.

This city holds the oldest independent and experimental film festival in the country, and is one of the few festivals which a film must appear at to qualify for an Academy Awards.
This city is headquarters for approximately 75% of all the NASCAR teams in the world.
This city is home to the largest single-day sporting event in the world.