Duke researcher to build brain-like AI hardware | A drug for treating mouth sores

The great minds at Flyover Universities continue to innovate and create solutions for some of life’s biggest issues. Here’s just a taste of what we’ve read about this week.

Duke University researcher to build high-energy space electronics and brain-like AI hardware

DURHAM, NC–A new faculty member has joined Duke University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Tania Roy will concentrate on building high-energy space electronics and brain-like AI hardware. The second arm of Roy’s research will deal with gallium nitride, a semiconductor that is poised to replace silicon in certain areas of computer hardware.

KU prof’s invention helps bring targeted cancer treatments to rural areas

LAWRENCE, KS–Access to targeted cancer treatments varies widely and only about half of people eligible receive them, according to Shellie Ellis, Ph.D., associate professor of population health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Rural cancer patients have an especially hard time accessing targeted treatments. Dr. Ellis was awarded a $1.2 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to test an intervention she and her colleagues designed: the TEAMSPORT (Multi-TEAM Systems Framework Precision Oncology Reflex Testing). The goal of TEAMSPORT is to create a standardized approach to the ordering of genomic tests, on which precision medicine targeted therapies are based, and adapt it for use in community cancer centers, where most cancer patients in the United States receive care.

OSU researchers uncover glitch in Bluetooth devices

COLUMBUS, OH–Researchers at the Ohio State University have found a glitch in Bluetooth devices that makes them more susceptible to attacks that can track user location. The researchers reveal that the attackers can interact with the network and collect a user’s private data. Yue Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher in computer science and engineering at Ohio State, is the lead author of the study. Zhang said, “This is a new finding that nobody has ever noticed before. We show that by broadcasting a MAC address to the device’s location, an attacker may not physically be able to see you, but they would know that you’re in the area.”

A new drug for treating mouth sores in cancer patients

TULSA, OK–A clinical trial at Oklahoma University’s Health Stephenson Cancer Center showed promise for a new drug to help treat mouth sores caused by radiation and chemotherapy in patients being treated for head and neck cancers. And get this: The drug is made from a naturally occurring compound in deer antlers. In the study, patients who received the EC-18 drug saw a 35% decrease in the presence of mouth sores.