Take My Breath Away: What You Need to Know About Lung Cancer

With the rise of products like vapes and e-cigarettes, the warning of lung cancer is not unheard of to most teenagers. Lung cancer is the most common cancer across the world, and the third most common cancer in the United States after skin cancer and breast cancer. In a normal, healthy lung, air enters through the bronchi that divide into bronchioles that ultimately lead to tiny air sacs known as alveoli. The alveoli are the site for gas exchange where oxygen is absorbed, and carbon dioxide is removed. Different types of lung cancer affect different parts of the lungs, but Read More …

Hormone Therapy Can Treat Breast and Prostate Cancers

Certain types of cancer, such as breast and prostate cancer, rely on hormones to grow and develop. These types of cancerous cells have receptors that attach to hormones, allowing them to divide and spread. The growth of these cancers can be halted if the hormones are blocked or modified. Hormone cancer therapy accomplishes this by blocking specific hormones as well as changing how they behave. Especially when combined with other cancer therapies, hormone therapy can successfully eradicate specific types of cancers. The idea behind hormone therapy arose in 1874 when English doctor Thomas Beatson discovered that by removing the ovaries Read More …

Understanding Epilepsy

Movie theater attendees are probably familiar with the “flash” and “strobe lights” warnings for children or adults that occasionally accompany films. These warnings are put in place to protect those with epilepsy and other health issues since photosensitive epilepsy seizures can be triggered by flashing lights or contrasting light and dark patterns. These warnings can help ensure the health and safety of those living with epilepsy. However, an accurate and a fuller understanding of epilepsy can help further protect those with epilepsy that live amongst us, even beyond the movie theater. Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system disorder that Read More …

Intern: Experience by the Numbers

5 boot camp sessions 3 rotations 5 wonderful supervisors 19 commercialization evaluation reports 14 technology briefs ~377,286 database searches 1 year of invaluable experience in the technology transfer field I decided to apply for the OTT internship at the end of my third year of graduate school for two reasons. First, I knew that academia wasn’t for me and wanted exposure to alternative careers and second, the daily lab slog (grad students, you know what I’m talking about) had me feeling burned out and in need of something new to channel my energy into. At the time, my PI was Read More …

Mark Goodman: The Radiologist

Mark Goodman, PhD holds the Emory University Endowed Chair in Imaging Science. He is Professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Director of the Radiology and Imaging Sciences Radiopharmaceutical Discovery Laboratory. Goodman received his BA in chemistry from Monmouth College, Illinois, and a PhD from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale and Harvard University in radiopharmaceutical chemistry. His research is directed towards the development of new radiotracers for the study and management of treatment of myocardial disorders, Read More …

Ken Cornell: The Patient

Ken Cornell is the general superintendent at JE Dunn Construction. He was been with JE Dunn for a little over five years and has worked in the construction industry for 38 years. He has a degree in construction engineering and has done lab and hospital construction work for the past 28 years. He is currently working on the construction of the new Health Sciences Research Building II (HSRBII).  Can you give an overview of how you got into construction, specifically the construction of medical and research facilities? I have a degree in construction engineering. That is my initial start in Read More …

Ronald Crowe: The Pharmacist

Ronald J. Crowe, RPh/BCNP is board-certified nuclear pharmacist and graduate of University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. He has practiced nuclear pharmacy since 1990 and has worked at Emory since 1997. He has worked with both the department of radiology and the School of Medicine and Imaging Core. Still currently working as a radiopharamacist at Emory, Crowe looks forward to the construction of the new Health and Sciences Research Building (HSRB) and its implications for the work that he does. What drew you to radiology and imaging science? In Pharmacy school, I was intrigued that radiopharmacy was a new and Read More …

Six Things to Know about Design Patents

Patents give inventors intellectual property rights by excluding other people from creating, using, or selling an invention for a set period of time. In return, inventors publish an enabling disclosure for the invention, which provides basic technical information about the invention to the public. There are actually several types of patents including plant patents, design patents, and utility patents. Most people think of utility patents when they think of the types of intellectual property that is protected with a patent. For example, machines, software, or manufactured items. However, design patents also play an important role in protecting the inventor’s right Read More …

Hepatitis Basics

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. There are multiple types of Hepatitis, and most are caused by a viral infection. However, extreme alcohol use, some medications, and certain medical conditions can also cause Hepatitis. The liver is a vital organ that performs over 500 functions to keep the body healthy; it digests food and processes nutrients, battles infections, recycles and filters blood, maintains the level of sugar in the bloodstream, flushes out toxins, and more. When the liver is inflamed, its function can be affected. Many people with Hepatitis suffer from a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, digestive issues, Read More …

*Cracks Knuckles* So What is Arthritis?

Knuckle cracking can be very stress relieving for most people. Some people enjoy it so much that they can also crack other parts of their body, such as their neck, back, or even their toes. There is a long list of myths and superstitions revolved around knuckle cracking, the most infamous of which is that it can cause arthritis. Arthritis is literally defined as “inflammation of the joint” and can be an informal way of referring to joint pain or disease. Contrary to popular belief, people of all ages can and do have arthritis, and it is the leading cause Read More …