Upcoming Assistive Technology Workshops

The SC Assistive Technology Program and the SC Department of Education Assistive Technology Specialists are offering the workshops listed below in September and October.
Most of the workshops are free of charge, but all require pre-registration. Locations and registration procedures (which vary among workshops) are noted in each workshop description.

9-13-11 - Columbia Tap.it in the Classroom - Raymond Heipp
9-14-11- Columbia Website Accessibility and Usability - Janet Jendron
9-14-11 - Florence Free and Low-Cost Assistive Technology - Val Gioia
9-20-11- Columbia Doing More with Less: School District AT Teams Forum
9-22-11 - Greenville Free and Low-Cost Assistive Technology - Mark Daniels
10-5-11 - Columbia Social Stories with Digital Supports - Val Gioia
10-5-11 - Hilton Head Communication: Increase Input to Increase Output - Stacy Springer
10-11-11- Summerville Communication: Increase Input to Increase Output - Stacy Springer
10-14-11 - Columbia Adapted Art Make 'n Take - Val Gioia, Carol Page
10-14-11- Columbia Music Make 'n Take - Ally Trotter, Carol Page
10-19-11 - Florence Executive Functioning: How to Get Your Students Organized - Val Gioia
10-20-11- Greenville AT Consideration - Mark Daniels
10-25-11 - Charleston Supporting Struggling Readers and Writers - Dave Butler, Kris Killough
10-26-11 - Columbia Supporting Struggling Readers and Writers - Dave Butler, Kris Killough
10-27-11 - Greenville Supporting Struggling Readers and Writers - Dave Butler, Kris Killough
NOTE: To read more about the workshops, and to see the full training schedule, click on the title above.

How ADHD typically affects women, and how to cope with it.

WebMD (Sept. 8, 2011)-A girl with ADHD may be labeled Chatty Cathy - the enthusiastic school-aged girl who is always telling stories to friends. Or she could be the daydreamer - the smart, shy teenager with the disorganized locker.

But what happens when she grows up? Or when her ADHD isn't diagnosed until she's a woman? Is her experience different from what men with ADHD go through?

ADHD has not been widely researched in women. Much more is known about how it affects children. However, there seems to be some patterns that differ between men and women with ADHD.

Women, Men, and ADHD

The issues adults with ADHD have mirror those in the population as a whole, says Stephanie Sarkis, PhD, a psychotherapist in Boca Raton, Fla.

For example, she says men with ADHD tend to have more car accidents, suspensions in school, substance abuse, and anger and behavioral issues, compared to women with ADHD. But men are more prone to these kinds of issues in general, regardless of ADHD.

Women with ADHD are more prone to eating disorders, obesity, low self-esteem, and depression and anxiety. But they do in the general population, as well.

These challenges also often play out in different areas of their lives. Men with ADHD may have problems at work - unable to complete their tasks or getting mad too easily at subordinates, says Anthony Rostain, MD, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Women, on the other hand, are more likely to see conflicts at home. Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, a clinical psychologist and director of the Chesapeake ADHD Center of Maryland in Silver Spring, says her female ADHD patients, especially mothers, come to her in a “constant state of overwhelm.”

“Society has a certain set of expectations we place on women and ADHD often makes them harder to accomplish,” Nadeau says. She points to women's traditional societal roles. “They are supposed to be the organizer, planner, and primary parent at home. Women are expected to remember birthdays and anniversaries and do laundry and keep track of events. That is all hard for someone with ADHD.”

Roots in Childhood

Many women with ADHD remember having these issues for a long time. “A lot of women tell me that (in school) they would look straight at the teacher so they wouldn’t get in trouble, but had no idea what was going on,” Nadeau says. “They are underfunctioning, but bright... their symptoms are more subtle.”

To read the entire article, please click on the above title.

Nanosensors Made from DNA May Light Path to New Cancer Tests and Drugs

ScienceDaily (Sep. 7, 2011) — Sensors made from custom DNA molecules could be used to personalize cancer treatments and monitor the quality of stem cells, according to an international team of researchers led by scientists at UC Santa Barbara and the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

The new nanosensors can quickly detect a broad class of proteins called transcription factors, which serve as the master control switches of life. The research is described in an article published in Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"The fate of our cells is controlled by thousands of different proteins, called transcription factors," said Alexis Vallée-Bélisle, a postdoctoral researcher in UCSB's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who led the study. "The role of these proteins is to read the genome and translate it into instructions for the synthesis of the various molecules that compose and control the cell. Transcription factors act a little bit like the 'settings' of our cells, just like the settings on our phones or computers. What our sensors do is read those settings."

When scientists take stem cells and turn them into specialized cells, they do so by changing the levels of a few transcription factors, he explained. This process is called cell reprogramming. "Our sensors monitor transcription factor activities, and could be used to make sure that stem cells have been properly reprogrammed," said Vallée-Bélisle. "They could also be used to determine which transcription factors are activated or repressed in a patient's cancer cells, thus enabling physicians to use the right combination of drugs for each patient."

Andrew Bonham, a postdoctoral scholar at UCSB and co-first author of the study, explained that many labs have invented ways to read transcription factors; however, this team's approach is very quick and convenient. "In most labs, researchers spend hours extracting the proteins from cells before analyzing them," said Bonham. "With the new sensors, we just mash the cells up, put the sensors in, and measure the level of fluorescence of the sample."

To read the entire article, please click on the above title.

Search for Predictors of Risk for PTSD: Meaningful Associations Dependent On Reliable Measures of Pre-Existing Trauma

ScienceDaily (Sep. 5, 2011) — A new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that certain variants of a gene that helps regulate serotonin (a brain chemical related to mood) may serve as a useful predictor of risk for symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a trauma.

"One of the critical questions surrounding PTSD is why some individuals are at risk for developing the disorder following a trauma, while others appear to be relatively resilient," says lead author, Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine.

"It is known that genetic heritability is one component of the differential risk for PTSD, but the mechanisms remain relatively unknown."

In this study, the researchers were able to look at college students who had been interviewed for a study prior to a 2008 mass shooting on the Northern Illinois University campus, and then were interviewed afterward. The researchers used these prospective psychological data to examine the association between variants in the serotonin transporter gene promoter region of the brain, and PTSD/acute stress disorder symptoms that developed in the aftermath of exposure to the shooting.

"We believe that the strength of this study is the availability of the same validated survey measure to assess PTSD symptoms prior to and after a shared acute traumatic event," explains Ressler, who is also a researcher at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory.

To read more about PTSD, please click on the above title.

Venus Williams Brings Attention to Sjogren’s Syndrome

New York Times (Sept. 2, 2011)- Before this week, many people had probably never heard of Sjogren’s syndrome, one of the most prevalent autoimmune disorders. But the recent announcement by tennis star Venus Williams that she was suffering from fatigue and other symptoms related to Sjogren’s has brought needed attention to a troubling condition.

The disease often starts out as an uncomfortable feeling in the eyes and mouth, writes medical reporter Gina Kolata.

Patients say their eyes are dry and red, even though they are using eye drops. Often too, they say, their mouths are dry. Food is becoming tasteless. Some get swollen glands in their necks, making it look like they have mumps.

It turns out those are the hallmark clinical signs of Sjogren’s syndrome, a mysterious disease caused by an overproduction of B lymphocytes, the cells of the immune system that make antibodies. The deluge of B cells clogs glands. Some people have trouble perspiring because their sweat glands are obstructed. Or they have trouble digesting food. Women may have pain during intercourse because their vaginas become dry….

When Venus Williams said the disease made her feel tired, she was right. Patients with Sjogren’s, like those with the related diseases rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, are unusually tired, and there is no way to alleviate this sensation. Investigators have studied lupus patients, asking how much oxygen they consume when they exercise, and found that they use much more than healthy people, although no one knows why that is so.

To read more about Sjogren's Syndrome, please click the above title.

Biological 'Computer' Destroys Cancer Cells: Diagnostic Network Incorporated Into Human Cells

ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2011) — "Researchers led by ETH professor Yaakov Benenson and MIT professor Ron Weiss have successfully incorporated a diagnostic biological "computer" network in human cells. This network recognizes certain cancer cells using logic combinations of five cancer-specific molecular factors, triggering cancer cells destruction.
Yaakov (Kobi) Benenson, Professor of Synthetic Biology at ETH Zurich, has spent a large part of his career developing biological computers that operate in living cells. His goal is to construct biocomputers that detect molecules carrying important information about cell wellbeing and process this information to direct appropriate therapeutic response if the cell is found to be abnormal. Now, together with MIT professor Ron Weiss and a team of scientists including post-doctoral scholars Zhen Xie and Liliana Wroblewska, and a doctoral student Laura Prochazka, they made a major step towards reaching this goal.
In a study that has just been published in Science, they describe a multi-gene synthetic "circuit" whose task is to distinguish between cancer and healthy cells and subsequently target cancer cells for destruction. This circuit works by sampling and integrating five intracellular cancer-specific molecular factors and their concentration. The circuit makes a positive identification only when all factors are present in the cell, resulting in a highly precise cancer detection. Researchers hope that it can serve a basis for very specific anti-cancer treatments.

Selective destruction of cancer cells
The scientists tested the gene network in two types of cultured human cells: cervical cancer cells, called HeLa cells, and normal cells. When the genetic bio-computer was introduced into the different cell types, only HeLa cells, but not the healthy ones, were destroyed."
NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Drug Could Make Aging Brains More Youthful?

Declining neural activity can be revved up in older brains, monkey study hints.

National Geographic -- "You can't teach an old brain new tricks—but you can restore its ability to remember the old ones, a new study in monkeys suggests.
Chemicals given to rhesus macaques blocked a brain molecule that slows the firing of the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, as we age—prompting those nerve cells to act young again.
"It's our first glimpse of what's going on physiologically that's causing age-related cognitive decline," said study leader Amy Arnsten, a neurobiologist at Yale University.
"We all assumed, given there's a lot of architectural changes in aged brains ... that we were stuck with it," Arnsten said.
But with the new results, "the hopeful thing is that the neurochemical environment still makes a big difference, and we might be able to remediate some of these things."

Brain's "Sketch Pad" Declines With Age
As the brain gets older, the prefrontal cortex begins to decline quickly.
This part of the brain is responsible for many high-order functions, including maintaining working memories—the ability to keep things on a "mental sketch pad" in the absence of stimuli from an action-based task.
The researchers had previously found that in young brains, nerve cells in the prefrontal cortex excite each other to keep working memories on the brain's slate.
"Those connections depend on the neurochemical environment, [which] has to be just right, like Goldilocks," she said.
But when people get into their 40s and 50s, that part of the brain begins to accumulate too much of a signaling molecule called cAMP, which can stop the cells from firing as efficiently—leading to forgetfulness and distractedness.
The number of seniors in the United States will likely double by 2050, and many of them will struggle to cope with the frenetic information age, according to the study."
NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

AN INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE ON AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S SYNDROME TALK

Bridging the Gap Between Understanding & Intervention
Presented by: DEBORAH LIPSKY, M.Ed

September 20, 2011
RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
HILTON RALEIGH-DURHAM AIRPORT AT RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK
4810 Page Creek Lane
Durham NC, 27703
Phone: 919-941-6030

September 21, 2011
CHARLOTTE/PINEVILLE, NC
HILTON GARDEN INN CHARLOTTE PINEVILLE
425 Towne Centre Boulevard
Pineville NC, 28134
Phone: 704-889-3279

Presenter(s):
DEBORAH LIPSKY, M.Ed, is an accomplished presenter traveling the United States and Canada delivering seminars, presentations, and keynote addresses on understanding autism from an insider's viewpoint. Diagnosed in 2005 with high functioning autism, she is a former board member of the Autism Society of Maine, and currently writes a regular humorous column for their newsletter. In 2005, she was awarded the Autism Society of Maine's outstanding volunteer award, and in 2006, she became the recipient of a Temple Grandin award for "outstanding success in her life thereby being an inspiration to others". Her message of inspiration, delivered with a delightful sense of humor, makes her a highly sought after motivational and educational speaker. Before the day is out, Deborah will have you understanding what it is like to be autistic.
She is an international author, having co-authored a book with her colleague Dr. Will Richards, on managing meltdowns for autistic individuals using their revolutionary new training model called S.C.A.R.E.D. published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This is a must have for anyone working with individuals on the autism spectrum. In addition to being a consultant for various agencies, Ms. Lipsky is a captain with the USAF-AUX for search and rescue and homeland security, a registered Maine Guide, a civil war re-enactor, avid WW2 and Viet Nam military collector and historian, and former licensed wildlife rehabilitator specializing in raccoons. She is affectionately known as the "raccoon lady", having spent 24 years studying them in the wild learning social skills she then adapted to use around humans.

A Personal Message from Your Presenter Deborah Lipsky:
"My name is Deborah Lipsky and I have high functioning autism. My program offers you insight into the world of an individual with autism from someone who lives it on a daily basis. I have encountered many similar problems that children with autism face as they grow up and have a true understanding of their difficulties so I am able to offer ideas for effective strategies and interventions. My specialty is meltdowns and in this program we will understand and explore their causes, interventions, and the differences between a meltdown and a behavioral tantrum. With my Master's Degree in Counseling, I have worked with both verbal and non-verbal individuals with autism and have developed the unique ability to "read" their non-verbal communication and which enables me to identify problem areas more quickly.
I also offer the unique perspective of telling my audience what it is like and how it feels to be autistic-how, as an individual with autism, my world differs from a "non-autistic" view. I am able to combine personal experiences with professional knowledge to bring to you a seminar unlike any other you have attended. I celebrate the gifts of autism and try to encourage people not to look at autism as a "dysfunction" or "disease" but just a neurological difference in the perception of the world. With some of my interactive exercises where you are "autistic" for a moment you will gain a greater appreciation of the challenges we autistic individuals face. I look forward to sharing my world view with all of you."
Deb NOTE: For more information on the agenda, and to register online, click on the title above.

US Autism and Asperger Association 2011 World Conference

Autism Education and Treatment: A Road to Wellness
October 27-30, Seattle, Washington

On October 27-30, 2011, the US Autism & Asperger Association launches its sixth annual conference in Seattle, Washington. World leading autism experts will discuss new treatment regimes and effective therapies. After four days, you will leave the conference armed with tools of practical protocols, valuable hope, and new resources for support for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, patient, friend, student, or yourself.

Keynote Speaker - Eustacia Purves Cutler
Eustacia Cutler is the mother of four children. Her oldest child is Dr. Temple Grandin, who is one of the most accomplished and well-known adults with autism in the world. Temple's fascinating life was brought to the screen in 2010 in the HBO production full-length film, "Temple Grandin", which claimed seven Emmy Awards, including outstanding made for TV movie. Last year, British actress Julia Ormond presented Eustacia Cutler the 2010 Emmy Award she received for portraying her in the movie "Temple Grandin." The award was presented to Mrs. Cutler at a conference hosted by Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles.

Unprecedented conference format
US Autism & Asperger Association’s unprecedented conference format, introduced last year, will feature panel workshops in non-concurrent sessions in addition to the keynote addresses. Some of the world’s most renowned autism and Asperger experts will present new interventions and new research in both education and medicine.
“This 'conference of panels' features keynote presentations which segue into the themed panel workshops," said Lawrence P. Kaplan, PhD, CEO of USAAA. “This structure differs from the customary conference format of strictly individual presentations and concurrent sessions. As a result, attendees can focus on the area being presented rather than being overwhelmed by the choices of many simultaneous lectures."
Dr. Kaplan added, “The makeup of our panel workshops consists of four to five expert panelists that provide immediate answers to attendees questions. What makes this unique is that the immense amount of information is consolidated into workshop panels and individual presentations over the course of three and a half days." To view the conference schedule, click here.
NOTE: To learn more about the conference, look up the schedule, and register online, click on the title above.

Dr. Darold Treffert on Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant

JKP Blog -- "Darold Treffert, MD is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in the U.S. He has worked with savants and researched this rare condition for nearly 50 years, and was a consultant on the award-winning movie ‘Rain Man’, in which Dustin Hoffman plays the role of an autistic savant. Here, Dr. Treffert answers some questions about his new book, Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

What is savant syndrome, how prevalent is it, and what are its most common manifestations?
Savant syndrome is a rare but remarkable condition in which persons with autism, or other developmental or central nervous system disorders, have some spectacular ‘islands of genius’ that stand in stark, marked contrast to overall limitations. It occurs as frequently as one in ten persons with autistic spectrum disorder. It is interesting that considering all the skills in the human repertoire savant abilities narrow generally to only five areas: music, art, calendar calculating, lightning calculating and mechanical or visual-spatial skills. Whatever the skill, it is always linked to massive memory of a particular type —extremely deep but exceedingly narrow within its limited confines.

There is a tendency to isolate the savant and marvel at their ‘superhuman’ abilities, but in so doing we run the risk of overlooking the whole person. Why is it so important that we understand savants in context?
There is a tendency to give a passing “Gee Whiz, look at that” glance at the savant and then return to our more ordinary ‘inside the box’ mentality. But savants provide a unique window into the brain in terms of talent, compartmentalized skills, multiple intelligences, memory and creativity itself. So the ‘islands of genius’ in the savant deserve careful scientific scrutiny. But beyond that unique scientific interest is the accompanying vital human interest of appreciating not just what the savant can “do”, but to value as well the special person that he or she “is” and not be entirely distracted by the spectacular skills themselves. Viewing these extraordinary people as “differently-abled”, rather than “dis-abled” allows those of us privileged to work with these special persons to be curious not only about the condition the person has, but to care about the person who has the condition as well. That is good “bedside manner” not just in general medicine, but also for those of us trying to better understand, support and intervene in autism spectrum disorders and related conditions, whether a researcher, therapist, teacher, parent or caretaker.

Behind these remarkable people are their dedicated caregivers. What are the most important things parents and teachers do to develop and nurture a child with savant skills?
I get numerous “I’ve got a son or daughter who…” emails from parents whose children’s special savant skills have unexpectedly surfaced, sometimes explosively. Through those emails always shines enormous love, pride, care and concern of that parent for that child. My advice is to certainly continue that fountain of unconditional acceptance because, as I have observed from these parents, love is a good therapist too. Beyond that, my advice, whether to parent, therapist or teacher is to “train the talent” in whatever form, and whatever quantity it exists. Because that sometimes seemingly obscure skill is the child’s way of communicating, granted in a rather non-traditional way. It is in fact an “island of intactness” that can recognized, seized, tended and nurtured. And as one does, that “training the talent” can serve as a ‘conduit toward normalization’ with improved language, social and daily living skills. I have witnessed that happening innumerable times and it is the greatest source of satisfaction of all in my work with persons with savant syndrome."

NOTE: To read the entire interview, click on the title above.

Medical Mysteries: A tiny baby who didn’t grow

Washington Post (August 29, 2011)- Right away the obstetrician knew that something was very wrong.

Morgan McElhinney weighed just over five pounds and had a head that was abnormally long and narrow. Her muscle tone was worrisomely floppy, and her cry unusually weak. Doctors at Frederick Memorial Hospital let Lisa Simonson McElhinney hold her newborn briefly before whisking her off to the neonatal intensive care unit.

“I didn’t see her much for a few days,” recalled McElhinney of the period immediately following the birth of her fourth child, in June 2002. After nearly a week in the hospital the baby was sent home, although no one could say what was wrong. Initial tests found no obvious cause, such as a metabolic disorder.

“We were scared,” said McElhinney, who manages apartment buildings in Frederick. “You try to be optimistic and say, ‘Maybe she’s not that bad, maybe she’s just really early and will grow out of it.’ Even the professionals tried to be optimistic” at first, she said.

More than five years would elapse before McElhinney and her husband, Brad, learned the reason for their daughter’s problems. That knowledge brought a fresh wave of grief that rocked McElhinney and drew her to a new endeavor aimed at helping other families.

The first sign something was amiss, said McElhinney, now 46, came just before she went into labor, when the baby turned from the foot-first breech position to the proper head-down position.

That seemed odd: There shouldn’t have been enough room for the baby to shift so dramatically this far along in the pregnancy. Maybe, she thought, the baby was coming earlier than expected — a month, instead of the two weeks the doctor had calculated. She was not alarmed; McElhinney had three older children from a previous marriage ranging in age from 7 to 16, and this pregnancy, like her earlier ones, had been uneventful.

Morgan’s low birth weight — 5 pounds, 3 ounces — was one of the first shocks, said McElhinney, who is 5-foot-10 and whose older children had weighed about eight pounds at birth.

After a few months, it was clear that Morgan’s problems were more serious than anyone anticipated. “We fed her and changed her, and that was about it,” McElhinney recalled. “She didn’t respond to any of us,” and her limbs were “like jelly.” McElhinney and her husband worried that she might have autism, a fear that escalated as she grew older and began making odd, repetitive flapping movements with her hands.

Morgan’s failure to gain weight was equally worrisome and prompted a referral to the first of many specialists, who had no answers. At 7 months, when she had not rolled over, which some babies do when they are a few weeks old, Morgan began early intervention therapy under the auspices of a state program.

Around the same time, McElhinney’s hopes were briefly buoyed. Doctors discovered that Morgan was severely nearsighted. “Vision is so important to development, so we hoped once she got glasses that would help,” McElhinney said. But seeing better didn’t seem to make much difference.

To read the entire article, please click the above title.

Board Listening Session regarding information technology in the Federal sector

Posted on Behalf of Access Board. Please refer all questions to the contact information below:

Kathy Roy Johnson
Legislative Analyst
U.S. Access Board
1331 F Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004-1111
(202) 272-0041
Fax: (202) 272-0081
www.access-board.gov
email: johnson@access-board.gov

On behalf of the Access Board, I am pleased to invite you to participate in a virtual listening session that we are hosting on ways to improve access to information technology in the federal sector. This listening session will take place on September 8, 2011, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The Access Board is hosting this event in collaboration with the Chief Information Officers Council, the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, and the General Services Administration’s Office of Governmentwide Policy. This forum will provide an opportunity for members of the public to suggest steps the federal government can take to improve its acquisition and implementation of accessible technology under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Information is also sought on emerging technologies that may pose barriers to access. People with disabilities, advocates, technology companies, government employees and other interested parties are invited to participate.

The listening session will be accessible. Computer assisted real-time transcription (CART) will be provided. Persons wishing to participate in the virtual listening session can either call in and speak their comments over the telephone or go online and type them on the afternoon of the listening session. Log-on and dial-in instructions are posted on the Board’s website. I hope that you will be able to join us on September 8th. Additional details about this meeting are provided in a notice published in the Federal Register.

Tiny Oxygen Generators Boost Effectiveness of Anticancer Treatment

ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2011) — Researchers have created and tested miniature devices that are implanted in tumors to generate oxygen, boosting the killing power of radiation and chemotherapy.

The technology is designed to treat solid tumors that are hypoxic at the center, meaning the core contains low oxygen levels.

"This is not good because radiation therapy needs oxygen to be effective," said Babak Ziaie, a Purdue University professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering. "So the hypoxic areas are hard to kill. Pancreatic and cervical cancers are notoriously hypoxic. If you generate oxygen you can increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy and also chemotherapy."

The new "implantable micro oxygen generator" is an electronic device that receives ultrasound signals and uses the energy to generate a small voltage to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water ╨ a chemical operation called water electrolysis.

"We are putting these devices inside tumors and then exposing the tumors to ultrasound," Ziaie said. "The ultrasound energy powers the device, generating oxygen.

The devices were created at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in the university's Discovery Park. Purdue researchers are working with Song-Chu (Arthur) Ko, an assistant professor of clinical radiation oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Researchers have tested the devices in pancreatic tumors implanted in mice, showing they generated oxygen and shrunk tumors faster than tumors without the devices. The devices are slightly less than one centimeter long and are inserted into tumors with a hypodermic biopsy needle.

"Most of us have been touched by cancer in one way or another," Ziaie said. "My father is a cancer survivor, and he went through many rounds of very painful chemotherapy. This is a new technology that has the potential to improve the effectiveness of such therapy."

Findings are detailed in a research paper appearing online this month in Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. The paper was written by research assistant professor Teimour Maleki, doctoral students Ning Cao and Seung Hyun Song, Ko and Ziaie.

To read more about Anticancer Treatment, please click the above title.