Author: Asher Alt

Debunking 3 myths about entrepreneurship

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Steve Jobs founded Apple. Rihanna founded Fenty Beauty. Arianna Huffington founded the Huffington Post. Each of these successful individuals risked it all to start their new businesses. Yet, daunting misconceptions about what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur often prevent others from following in their footsteps. But there are many types of entrepreneurship and even more types of entrepreneurs, and one’s unique experience could be just what they need to find success. Here, we’re setting the record straight on three common myths about entrepreneurship. 1. Entrepreneurs are always young. While the stereotypical image of an entrepreneur is someone young. Read More …

An Overview of Sleep Apnea

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Approximately 30 million people have sleep apnea, but only six million are correctly diagnosed with sleep apnea in the United States. When we’re asleep, our bodily functions keep us breathing as normal without our conscious awareness. However, sleep apnea causes a person to stop breathing entirely, and the lack of oxygen forces them to wake up and breathe. The abrupt, repeated pattern of awakening prevents the person from getting restful sleep and can have other harmful repercussions. What is Sleep Apnea? There are several but the three most common are obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), central sleep apnea (CSA), and treatment-emergent Read More …

15 Good Minutes: Khalid Salaita, PhD

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Khalid Salaita, PhD has been studying the connection between chemistry and mechanical forces in his laboratory at Emory for 14 years. After completing his PhD at Northwestern University, where he studied material science and interfaces and surfaces, he completed his postdoc at UC Berkeley studying the assembly of receptor tyrosine kinase proteins in the plasma membrane. He has been leading his lab at Emory ever since, studying a wide range of questions in the chemistry field. Not only is he a professor of chemistry and a program faculty of biomedical engineering, but he also is affiliated with the Winship Cancer Read More …

Q&A With Annual Celebration 2024 Awardees: Eric Ortlund, PhD

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Eric Ortlund, PhD, is the recipient for Emory OTT’s Deal of the Year Award at the 2024 Annual Celebration of Technology and Innovation. Ortlund and his research team used a structure-guided approach to exploit a newly discovered polar interaction to lock agonists in a consistent orientation. This enabled the discovery of the first low nanomolar LRH-1 agonist. In 2023, Emory University executed an exclusive high net worth license with Allonix Therapeutics for this technology. Can you introduce yourself? My name is Eric Ortlund. I’m a professor of biochemistry in the School of Medicine. I run a research lab here that Read More …

Q&A With Annual Celebration 2024 Awardees: Louise Hecker, PhD

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Louise Hecker, PhD, is the EmpowHER Award recipient at Emory OTT’s 2024 Annual Celebration of Technology and Innovation. Hecker is a prominent researcher in the field of regenerative biology and specializes in pulmonology. Her research primarily focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying lung fibrosis and developing novel therapeutic approaches for treating this debilitating disease. Can you introduce yourself? I’m Louise and I am an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary Division. We do a wide range of projects, under a big umbrella. We study aging and injury repair. We’re not trying to necessarily find the fountain of youth Read More …

Q&A with Annual Celebration 2024 Awardees: Santiago Arconada Alvarez

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Santiago Arconada Alvarez is one of five members of the team receiving the Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity Award (IDEAward). Their technology, Low English Proficiency Nurse Communication Tool, is an application that revolutionizes how nurses communicate with patients who have limited English language proficiency and their caregivers. This novel mobile app enables the clinical team to communicate using common phrases in the patient’s language, images, and real-time translation. Can you introduce yourself? I am Santiago Arconada Alvarez and I’m a product development team lead working on medical apps for clinical research. Currently, I co-lead a group called the AppHatchery at Emory Read More …

Q&A with Annual Celebration 2024 Awardees: Erica Evans

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Erica Evans is one of six team members receiving the 2023 Corporate Partnership Award. Partnering with Honeywell, Evans and team are developing multiple diagnostics for sickle cell disease via a multi-pronged, multi-year partnership. Can you introduce yourself? I’m Erica and I’m a research assistant at Dr. Vivien Sheehan’s lab. I’ve been working on the microfluidics projects with her and Dr. Wilbur Lam at Georgia Tech. For about two years, we’d had a prototype for a sickle cell disease, red blood cell adhesion device. My main priority was to get that device to a state where we could reliably distinguish between Read More …

Q&A with Annual Celebration 2024 Awardees: David Myers, PhD

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David Myers, PhD, is one of three team members to receive the 2023 Innovation of the Year award. The technology, A Bio-Inspired Skin Interface Method for Continuous Access to Blood for Measurement and Therapy, is a wearable, continuous blood collection device that can monitor blood-based biomarkers with reduced risk of blood clots. Can you introduce yourself? I’m David Myers. I’m an assistant professor in biomedical engineering. I studied mechanical engineering for my PhD, and then trained in hematology for my postdoc. What initially drew you to your field? I love seeing things move and how stuff works. Can you tell Read More …

Breaking Down Intellectual Property in Pop Culture

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Intellectual property, or IP, is an ancient idea that dictates how we consume today’s pop culture. Without IP, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our favorite shows from the comfort of our couch, quote iconic movie lines, or even immerse ourselves in the latest bestselling novel. IP is crucial to pop culture, but what is it, exactly? Intellectual property is “a work or investigation that is the result of creativity to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.” Sound vague? It’s supposed to. Part of the reason is because of IP’s Read More …

Sickle cell disease: causes, complications, and cures

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What is sickle cell disease? Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of red blood cell disorders caused by misshapen hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen throughout the body. Normal red blood cells are disk shaped, which allows them to flow smoothly through blood vessels. In contrast, the SCD genetic mutation causes the red blood cells to be crescent or sickle shaped. These sickle cells become rigid and sticky inside of the blood vessels, which blocks and slows blood flow to the body. Who is at risk? SCD impacts nearly 100,000 Americans. In the United States, SCD Read More …

Artificial intelligence in healthcare: How machines can improve patient experience and outcomes

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Technology has become an integral part of our lives – including medicine. Now, healthcare industries are harnessing novel innovations, including artificial intelligence (AI), to improve many aspects of care. AI has been applied in patient diagnosis and monitoring, treatment protocol development, radiology, and drug development. While some of this might seem like science fiction, medical professionals use it every day to better the lives of their patients. How AI improves healthcare AI allows us not only to analyze data, but also to find their subtle and complex patterns. Machine learning algorithms, specifically, are responsible for these advancements. Engineers have developed Read More …

A guide to cardiovascular disease and a heart-healthy lifestyle

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February marks American Heart Month, a time to celebrate cardiovascular health and focus on heart disease prevention. Heart disease has continuously been the greatest health threat to Americans and the leading cause of death worldwide. It is estimated that nearly 17.9 million people across the globe die of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and roughly 48.6% of Americans age 20 or older have at least one CVD, including heart failure, congenital heart defects, stroke, or hypertension. In addition, it contributes to more than $320 billion in annual healthcare costs and lost productivity. Despite the stunning statistics, CVDs are preventable with a healthy Read More …

An Overview of Diabetes

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Affecting more than 422 million people worldwide and killing over 1.5 million people yearly, diabetes is a worldwide epidemic. It is the sixth leading cause of death, with 80% of the deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries, and the prevalence of diabetes has been increasing at alarming rates. In the United States alone, 37.3 million adults have diabetes – nearly 11.3% of the entire population – and that’s not including the 96 million adults who are prediabetic. What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic health condition that prevents the body from producing insulin or utilizing insulin, causing high blood Read More …

Six Things to Know about Trade Secrets

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Trade secrets are a way to protect confidential information without a legal fee. Any piece of knowledge that gives a business or corporation a competitive advantage can be a trade secret. Do you have rights to a trade secret? Read on. 1. Trade secrets can include technical and commercial information. According to the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA), a trade secret can be any “formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process” that has commercial value based upon keeping it a secret. This can be technical information (ex. manufacturing processes and computer program designs) or commercial information (ex. client Read More …

The role of technology in holiday light shows

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What is the holiday season without its lights? The tradition of holiday lights – specifically in Christmas trees – was made popular by the 1848 issue of The Illustrated London News. The image of the candle-illuminated tree at Windsor Castle was published, inspiring the public and popularizing the idea of decorated Christmas trees. The British royal family was headed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, both of whom had German heritage. The tradition of decorating Christmas trees is German, and the two introduced that tradition to Windsor Castle, the British public, and the rest of the world. From fire to Read More …

The pros and cons of wearable devices in clinical trials

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The use of wearable devices has skyrocketed over the past few years, with approximately 21% of U.S. adults reporting the use of a smartwatch or wearable fitness tracker. Many of those people use the wearable devices, including clip-on devices, belts, or patches, to track their own health metrics and stay on top of their wellness goals. Powered by microprocessors and sensors, wearables are capable of receiving, analyzing, recording, and communicating data such as one’s heart rate, oxygen saturation, sleep patterns, workouts, and even electrocardiograms. And thanks to rapidly developing technology, advances in 5G or AI have been incorporated into wearable Read More …

EEVM: Emory club fosters student-led innovation and entrepreneurship

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Entrepreneurship has become increasingly influential on college campuses, capturing the imagination of visionary students who seek autonomy, financial security, and the power to drive social change. Even for those not pursuing a business degree, learning about entrepreneurship can foster innovative thinking, research skills, and collaboration abilities. Emory University, in particular, has cultivated a vibrant community that supports both individual innovators and organizations striving to leave their mark on society. Among them, Emory Entrepreneurship & Venture Management (EEVM) stands as one of the biggest players in promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship. EEVM is dedicated to lowering the boundary for building businesses Read More …

Health Literacy: How to Take Control of Your Own Health Journey

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Only 12% of American adults have proficient health literacy skills. In order to understand why so many Americans struggle with health literacy, we must first learn what it means to have good health literacy. What is health literacy? Patients with good health literacy can make informed decisions to protect and improve their health. They know how to find, understand, and use health information and services to enhance their quality of life. This knowledge helps them communicate with doctors, fill out medical forms, select insurance plans, and understand the risks of procedures and treatment plans. Factors such as education, language, culture, Read More …

Bayh-Dole Coalition Honors Emory Professor Behind Groundbreaking HIV and Covid-19 Treatments

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ATLANTA, GA (August 21, 2023) — Emory University Professor Dennis Liotta has been featured in the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s new “Faces of American Innovation” report for developing chemical compounds used in life-saving medicines. The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a diverse group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the Bayh-Dole Act, as well as informing policymakers and the public of its many benefits. On September 13, Dr. Liotta and four other leading innovators will receive the inaugural Bayh-Dole Coalition American Innovator Award in Washington, D.C. “This is a wonderful honor, and I am humbled to receive it,” said Dr. Liotta. Read More …

contractConnect: Submit your agreements online

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Save time and paper: With Emory contractConnect, you can now submit your Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) or Data Transfer/Use Agreement (DUA/DTA) online! Emory personnel no longer must download, fill out, scan, and send PDFs. Instead, you can submit your MTAs and DUAs directly via the forms found on Emory contractConnect. Automatically and seamlessly upload any number of supporting documents, save your submission as a draft to come back to, and get all the signatures you need on this user-friendly portal. All questions from the previous PDF version of the questionnaires are found on the system, and records are automatically created Read More …