Houston researchers are developing smaller scaled imaging machines

future of health tech

Researchers at the University of Houston are revolutionizing pulsed power systems and traditional MRI machines. Image via Pexels

A team of researchers in Houston are developing the next generation of miniaturized pulsed power systems — a technology that was key to the creation of x-ray machines, then MRI machines, and more.

University of Houston researchers led by Harish Krishnamoorthy, Cullen College assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, are working to develop the next generation of miniaturized pulsed power systems. X-rays, MRIs, and similar technology are deeply intertwined with the nuclear age and the mid-20th century. Additionally, pulsed power systems have been used to create other military weapons, such as radar systems and rail guns.

The research is was published in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. In the paper, the researchers propose creating a mini-pulsed power system that can shrink the system’s energy storage components, such as capacitors, and deliver an immediate surge of power, a recent UH news release summarizes. According to the paper, energy storage can be reduced to less than one-tenth the size of what conventional pulsed power systems use.

“We’re essentially creating a small high-density energy storage machine that will help with reducing the space these machines use, which will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in material costs and improve their reliability,” Krishnamoorthy says.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) awarded the research team a $1 million grant to build their gallium nitride (GaN)-based miniaturized pulsed power system. The team will be conducting the project alongside scientists from Harvard University and Schlumberger, who are sub-recipients of the grant.

“Initially we’ll make a compact pulsed power supply for extreme environment fluid characterization that can disruptively reduce the cost of downhole well logging tools used in fossil and geothermal energy production. This will be followed by a miniaturized converter suitable for mobile hand-held MRI machines. However, we think that we can extend our technology to make small water-purification systems, pulsed laser systems and pulsed electro-magnetic radiation sources,” says Krishnamoorthy.

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Texas A&M expands innovative Dog Aging Project via $7 million grant

pet project

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has received a $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support its Dog Aging Project.

The DAP is a research project that was launched in 2019 by Texas A&M and the University of Washington School of Medicine and has enrolled over 50,000 dogs to date, according to a release. The program studies various breeds of companion dogs and studies the effects of aging to help develop a better understanding of what can lead to an expanded, healthy canine life, which can also assist with human aging knowledge.

The NIH funds will be used to expand a clinical trial studying how the drug rapamycin, also called sirolimus, can extend the lives of companion dogs.

The project, known as Test of Rapamycin In Aging Dogs (TRIAD), is the third DAP clinical trial involving the drug rapamycin. The drug has previously been used as an immunosuppressant during organ transplants in humans. Past DAP studies reported that the drug appears to improve cardiac function in dogs.

“Rapamycin works by modifying the cells’ energy balance and energy handling,” Dr. Kate Creevy, DAP chief veterinary officer and a professor in the VMBS’ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, said in a news release. "It seems to mimic the effects that happen in people or animals who do intermittent fasting. There is a lot of interest in intermittent fasting as a technique that can improve health, particularly healthy aging, and some of the pharmaceutical effects of rapamycin make the same changes at the cellular level.”

So far, 170 dogs are in the trial at 20 sites, with the goal of expanding to 580 dogs enrolled in multiple cities across the country. Dogs must be over 7 years old and in good general health to participate. They should also weigh at least 44 pounds. Owners are required to bring their dogs to one of TRIAD’s participating clinical sites every six months for three years. The Texas clinical sites are in College Station and North Texas.

“Dogs experience many of the age-related cognitive, sensory, neuropathologic and mobility changes that are common in older humans,” Dr. May Reed, a geriatrician at the University of Washington School of Medicine and another primary investigator in the study, said in the release. “The possibility that rapamycin might delay any of the alterations that contribute to cognitive impairment and functional decline is very exciting and has huge translational potential.”

“We get to learn how to support both dog and human aging at the same time. Our research is also powered by owners’ commitments to the health of their dogs, and that’s what makes our work both possible and meaningful,” Creevy added. “We’re very grateful to them.”

Houston unicorn startup named North American Company of the Year

top honor

Houston-based geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy has been named North American Company of the Year by research and consulting firm Cleantech Group.

Fervo appears on this year’s Global Cleantech 100, Cleantech Group’s annual list of the world’s most innovative and promising cleantech companies

Houston companies Syzygy Plasmonics and Vaulted Deep also made the Global Cleantech 100 list this year.

“These innovators give us reasons to be optimistic about the future. Their groundbreaking work demonstrates that progress toward net-zero remains possible and inspires us to double down on the challenge of addressing climate change,” says Richard Youngman, CEO of Cleantech Group.

Fervo was honored during a Jan. 27 awards dinner at Cleantech Forum North America, an event hosted by Cleantech Group. Co-founder and CEO Tim Latimer accepted the North American Company of the Year award on behalf of Fervo.

“We have always been honored to be part of the Global Cleantech 100,” Latimer says in a LinkedIn post. “Being recognized for the fourth consecutive year and named the ‘North American Company of the Year’ is a testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation in the energy sector. The demand for clean, firm power has never been more urgent, and we are proud to lead the way.”

Founded in 2017, Fervo is now a unicorn, meaning its valuation as a private company has surpassed $1 billion. The startup’s valuation is estimated at $1.4 billion. According to PitchBook data, the company raised $634 million in VC funding in Q4. Read more here.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, Energy Capital.

Apple announces 250,000-square-foot Houston factory as part of $500B plan

The Big Apple

As part of a more than $500 billion, four-year investment across the U.S., Silicon Valley tech giant Apple plans to build a factory in Houston that will produce servers for its data centers to support the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) business.

In a February 24 announcement, Apple says the company and its partners will build the 250,000-square-foot factory. The plant, set to open in 2026, will employ thousands of people. The announcement doesn’t mention where the plant will be located or how much the project will cost.

“Previously manufactured outside the U.S., the servers that will soon be assembled in Houston play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence, and are the foundation of Private Cloud Compute, which combines powerful AI processing with the most advanced security architecture ever deployed at scale for AI cloud computing,” according to the announcement.

Various media outlets report that Apple is shifting AI server manufacturing and other operations to the U.S. to escape President Trump’s 10% tariff on imports from China. Apple makes many of its iPhones and other tech products in China in partnership with Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn.

The New York Times says Foxconn will be involved in the Houston factory. Last year, Foxconn spent $33 million to buy 10 acres and a building north of Houston in Harris County, adjacent to one of its warehouses, that it said would be used for its AI server business, according to The Times and Focus Taiwan.

Other countries that produce Apple products include India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, according to IndustryWeek.

The Houston plant announcement comes just days after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Trump at the White House.

“We are bullish on the future of American innovation,” Cook says in a news release, “and we’re proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future.”

With establishment of the factory in Houston, Apple will enjoy access to a deep pool of manufacturing workers. As of December, nearly 240,000 people held manufacturing jobs in the Houston area, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Greater Houston Partnership says the Houston area is home to over 7,000 manufacturers that produce more than $75 billion worth of goods each year.

Given the region’s solid manufacturing base, Apple should be able to attract plenty of job candidates for its Houston facility.

“Apple’s announcement further solidifies Houston’s leadership as a hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing,” Steve Kean, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, says in a statement. “This is a testament to our region’s business-friendly environment, skilled workforce, strategic global positioning, and proven ability to attract world-class companies. As U.S. companies continue to onshore their manufacturing operations, we are bullish on Houston’s ability to win big.”

"I am pleased with today's announcement and would like to give a shout-out to Apple for plans to bring a state-of-the-art facility to Houston. My administration believes in collaborating with corporations to ensure they know Houston is a place of opportunity. We have the talent and a can-do attitude to get things done," said Mayor John Whitmire via an email statement.

"Last year, Chevron announced its move from California to Houston. Today, Vestas, a leading global wind turbine manufacturer, is opening a new corporate office in Houston. Apple's announcement is a powerful message to everyone that the City of Houston is recognized as a place to live and work and the best major city in America to do business."

As the use of AI continues to grow, companies like Apple need more computing power. Thus, the company is making servers — housed at an escalating number of data centers — that bolster its Apple Intelligence program. Apple describes the program as a “personal intelligence system that helps users write, express themselves, and get things done.”

Over the next four years, Apple aims to add about 20,000 employees in Houston and other U.S. locations, mostly in AI and machine learning, research and development, silicon engineering, and software development. Aside from Texas, Apple is expanding in Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington.

In Texas, Apple already maintains a significant presence in Austin, where it employs about 7,000 people at two corporate campuses. Elsewhere in the Austin area, it has offices in West Lake Hills and San Marcos. It also maintains an office in Dallas.

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