Connecting the Future: How a UC Davis Invention Helped Build Broadband Communications

In 1997, when broadband communications and the “World Wide Web” were both in their infancy, two UC Davis professors and a graduate student came up with a better way to route data in fiber-optic networks. Their patented invention became a critical component for fiber-optic communications around the globe, bringing internet and phone traffic to millions of people. It is also one of the highest-earning utility patents for the UC system.

Research Highlights
Early Intervention in Autism Improves Language, IQ and Social Skills
Breakthrough research demonstrating that children with autism as young as 18 months can vastly improve their language, cognition and social skills with an early intervention developed by UC Davis Professor Sally Rogers has been replicated in a major new study.

Dogs Fed Some Popular Diets Could Be at Risk of Heart Disease
UC Davis veterinarians led a team that has found a link between some popular grain-free, legume-rich dog diets and a type of nutritional deficiency and canine heart disease known as taurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathy.
 
Unprecedented Number of Warm-Water Species Moved Northward During Marine Heatwave
Scientists from the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory recently published findings documenting an unprecedented number of southern marine species moving northward into California and as far north as Oregon. The creatures, typically seen only in places like Baja California, Mexico, included warm-water species of jellyfish, crabs, nudibranchs, fish and even dolphins and sea turtles.

Anti-Inflammatory Compound Protects Against Cancer Growth and Recurrence
A new anti-inflammatory compound developed at UC Davis acts as a “surge protector” to suppress inflammation and reduce cancer growth, at least in mouse models of cancer.

Growing Up in Poverty Increases Diagnoses of Psychosis-Spectrum Mental Illnesses
Growing up in impoverished urban neighborhoods more than doubles your chances over the average person of developing a psychosis-spectrum disorder by the time you reach middle adulthood, according to a new UC Davis and Concordia University study of nearly 4,000 families who were monitored over 30 years.

Innovation News
Neurologic Disease Research at UC Davis Contributes to First Treatment Specifically Approved for Postpartum Depression
Sage Therapeutics announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of its product, Zulresso™ (brexanolone) injection, for the treatment of postpartum depression in women. Initial development of an intravenous formulation of allopregnanolone (also known as brexanolone) and first-in-human clinical studies were conducted by Michael Rogawski, a professor in the UC Davis Departments of Neurology and Pharmacology.

Computer Scientists Create Programmable Self-Assembling DNA
Computer scientists at UC Davis and the California Institute of Technology have created DNA molecules that can self-assemble into patterns essentially by running their own program. The system is analogous to a computer, but instead of using transistors and diodes, it uses molecules to represent a six-bit binary number (for example, 011001).

Robot-Assisted Throat Cancer Surgery Gets Assist from Novel Optical Device
For hard-to-reach tumors at the back of the throat, robots can assist surgeons to remove cancers in a less invasive way. But this high-tech approach has a drawback: the surgeon’s inability to assess through touch whether they’ve been able to get all of the cancer out. An innovative new device developed at UC Davis is helping to change that.    

UC Davis Collaborates With IBM in Aggie Square Launch Facility
Chancellor Gary S. May announced a collaboration that previews Aggie Square’s formula for success. A select group of IBM specialists will join staff from Aggie Square and the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement in a newly leased building on Stockton Boulevard. The building will also include a flexible innovation center for UC Davis faculty, IBM and others to host events to demonstrate their latest innovations and collaborative projects.

Researcher Spotlight
Discovering Curiosity: Fighting Neuromuscular Disorders with New Faculty Lucas Smith
In his new lab at UC Davis, Assistant Professor Lucas Smith investigates how the accumulation of scar tissue affects muscle mechanics. His aim is to develop therapies that alleviate neuromuscular disorders and restore healthy muscle regeneration.

Featured Events
2019 IIFH Innovator Summit: Transformation of the Food System
The 2019 Innovator Summit brings together leading experts, investors and change-makers to continue accelerating transformation of the food system. The summit will consist of invigorating keynote presentations, breakout sessions, exhibits and a special showcase at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley.
May 21-29, 2019

Meteorology and Climate-Modeling for Air Quality Conference
The Meteorology and Climate-Modeling for Air Quality Conference will bring together research scientists from around the world to discuss a wide range of topics related to meteorology for air quality applications.
September 11-13, 2019

Honors and Awards
Ecologist Susan Harrison Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Professor Katia Vega Receives Johnson & Johnson Women in STEM2D Scholars Award

Professor Emeritus Jonathan Heritage Elected to National Academy of Engineering

 View more awards and rankings
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