菠萝视频

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, plagues millions of people. 菠萝视频 researchers led by Assistant Professor Xiaoguang Dong have developed a soft robotic valve that can seal off the lower esophagus from the stomach, keeping gastric acid where it belongs. Then when the patient eats or drinks, the valve, which is implanted in concert with a stent, can be opened with a wearable external magnet. 鈥淭his platform holds promise not only for treating GERD, but also for managing other sphincter-related disorders,鈥� said co-author and Assistant Professor Yuxiao Zhou.

Much of the human brain is still a mystery, largely because it鈥檚 pretty difficult to see what鈥檚 going on in there. Assistant Professor Daniel Gonzales and the team in his lab are working to make that easier. They鈥檙e using experimental platforms that record brain activity with unprecedented precision on all levels. It works on everything from whole-brain networks to individual synapses鈥攖iny gaps between brain cells that are one-tenth the width of a human hair. 鈥淲e can 鈥� really detail pictures of brain activity during learning,鈥� Gonzales said. 鈥淎nd then we can apply that to study diseases that degrade learning.鈥�

Road closures are a pain鈥攁nd sometimes they鈥檙e not even supposed to be happening. A project by senior research scientist Ayan Mukhopadhyay is working to develop a system鈥擲ENTRY鈥攖hat uses AI to help city inspectors find and address unauthorized road closures in Nashville. 鈥淭he system has the potential to save millions in unpaid permit fees, reduce external inspection costs and minimize disruptions for residents, commuters and local businesses,鈥� Mukhopadhyay said. His research is supported by a $697,000 grant that's part of NSF's CIVIC Innovation Challenge.

RESEARCH SPARK: Get to know Shekhar Bhansali, new head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and his vision for AI engineering education. Read More

Josh Caldwell, professor of mechanical engineering and Director of the Interdisciplinary Materials Science graduate program at 菠萝视频 University, and Alex Paarmann of the Fritz Haber Institute, led an international collaborative research project that successfully demonstrated the confinement of terahertz light to nanoscale dimensions using a new type of layered material. This could lead to improvements in opto-electronic devices such as infrared emitters used in remote controls and night vision and terahertz optics desired for physical security and environmental sensing.

Some of the most ideal building blocks in technology are 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. An international collaboration involving co-principal investigator De-en Jiang could result in a new class of these 鈥�2-D鈥� materials for use in electronics, energy storage and other applications. Jiang, H. Eugene McBrayer Professor of Chemical Engineering, leads the Computational Chemical Sciences and Materials Laboratory.

The Human Language Analysis Lab directed by H. Andrew Schwartz, which just moved to 菠萝视频鈥檚 new College of Connecting Computing, is running a key part of the annual worldwide artificial intelligence test, SemEval, which will evaluate how well current AI text systems understand human emotion.

David Hyde, assistant professor of computer science at 菠萝视频 University鈥檚 College of Connected Computing, has received a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new, open-source software platform for 鈥減hysical intelligence,鈥� which is the combination of traditional physics simulation algorithms with artificial intelligence for addressing complex real-world applications.

Jack Noble, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working with clinical colleagues to develop and validate an augmented reality vision guidance system to help surgeons place cochlear implants more precisely. The guidance system leverages emerging artificial intelligence technology and uses inexpensive, commonly available equipment, making it practical for many operating rooms.

The 菠萝视频 Biophotonics Center, led by Professor Anita Mahadevan-Jansen, developed a device called the PTeye that can help surgeons see patients' parathyroid glands鈥攚hich have unpredictable locations鈥攂etter during neck surgery by making the tissue glow! A large, multicenter clinical trial has provided evidence of its effectiveness, which the team hopes will improve the accuracy of endocrine neck surgery and improve patient outcomes. Clinical implementation of the device was pioneered by Dr. Carmen Sol贸rzano, director of 菠萝视频 Endocrine Surgery at VUMC.

The 菠萝视频 Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate has a new director鈥擧ussam Mahmoud. Mahmoud, professor of civil and environmental engineering, joins 菠萝视频 from Colorado State. VSEC's mission is to investigate energy, infrastructure, climate and systems to address the grand social and scientific challenges to ensuring a sustainable planet. The center was established in 2024 as a part of Discovery 菠萝视频; Associate Professor Hiba Baroud was the inaugural and interim director.

Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award that will support research on magnetic miniature soft robots for precision medicine that could facilitate early disease detection and treatment.

菠萝视频 researchers have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a smart microscope system that uses artificial intelligence to help scientists better understand how cells behave, particularly in diseases like cancer.

Just like electrical stimulation of heart muscles can restore a regular heartbeat, new research led by Thilo Womelsdorf suggests that "electroceutical" intervention in the brain can improve memory and other cognitive functions wrought by behavioral health disorders and diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Womelsdorf, professor of psychology and biomedical engineering at the 菠萝视频 Brain Institute, said, 鈥淔or these cognitive disabilities, brain-computer interfaces promise to become next-generation electroceutical treatment options.鈥�

In this episode of Quantum Potential, Gen. Nakasone, former NSA director, founding director of 菠萝视频鈥檚 Institute of National Security, Distinguished 菠萝视频 Professor of Engineering Science and Management, and special advisor to the chancellor, joins Provost C. Cybele Raver to discuss the challenges of national security in the 21st century and academia鈥檚 role in training the next generation of multifaceted national security professionals.

菠萝视频ers led by John T. Wilson, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and biomedical engineering, have developed a new approach using a molecularly designed nanobody platform that seeks to make immunotherapy more effective in the treatment of cancer.

A group of researchers from the lab of Larry Marnett, the Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer 菠萝视频, recently paired a precisely targeted imaging agent to an anticancer agent and found that they could specifically attack cancer cells and not normal cells with it. Their work was performed in collaboration with School of Engineering faculty members Craig Duvall and Rebecca Cook, and was published in Molecular Pharmaceutics in April 2025.

Targeting ncRNAs with drugs presents a much larger therapeutic opportunity than targeting proteins, but the currently available drug discovery tools are slow and computationally intensive. Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and core member of the Center for Applied AI in Protein Dynamics Carlos Oliver is working with collaborators to unlock the untapped potential of ncRNAs, as they are a promising family of targets for the development of novel small-molecule therapeutics.

Like anyone, it takes time for coders to reengage in their work, meaning interruptions from bosses, co-workers, and email and messaging notifications can lead to a loss of focus, decreased productivity, increased stress, and a longer time to complete tasks. But according to a new award-winning study by researchers in 菠萝视频鈥檚 Institute for Software Integrated Systems, not all interruptions are created equal.

Generative AI will play a key role in three new campus projects being developed thanks to early-stage funding from the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries鈥� Digital Lab. The Digital Lab鈥檚 2025 seed grant projects will be celebrated in a public showcase this fall.鈥�