Students Abiel Vasallo Veliz, Amanda Sanchez and Jenny Pei Student-led PolarDoc advances to Hult Prize Digital Incubator with device to predict preterm labor The team wants to prevent preterm birth and win the “Nobel Prize for students” Science & Technology By Cristina Rosell May 7, 2026 at 2:00pm This story has been updated from the original, […]
Your smartwatch is lying to you about how many calories you burned in your last workout
A study tested popular smartwatches, and they all overestimated calories burned. Here’s how to still get value from yours. Medicine & Health Sciences By Angela Nicoletti September 1, 2026 at 4:19pm If you’re depending on your smartwatch to tell you the truth about how many calories you burned during a workout — well, don’t. Fitness trackers […]
AI-powered portable sensor enables rapid and multiplexed cardiac biomarker testing
AI-Enhanced Dual-Mode Vertical Flow Assay for Multiplexed Cardiac Biomarker Detection. Image Credit: Ozcan Lab @ UCLA April 8, 2026 UCLA researchers developed an AI-powered portable diagnostic platform for rapid multiplexed detection of key cardiac biomarkers. Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 20 million deaths each year. Rapid diagnosis and […]
Autonomous Reliability Assessment Boosts Sensitivity of Rapid Diagnostic Tests
Computational point-of-care sensing pipeline with uncertainty quantification. Image credit: Ozcan Lab @ UCLA. June 3, 2026 Computational point-of-care sensors can significantly improve access to diagnostics by enabling rapid patient testing outside of centralized medical facilities. These tests rely on machine learning models to make diagnostic predictions, but such inference models are susceptible to hallucinations and […]
Closing the gap between suspecting a heart attack and confirming it
A highly sensitive cardiac test brings traditional lab diagnostics to the field, when it’s most needed Illustration of a portable cardiac troponin I testing system that wirelessly transmits results to a smartphone A person having a heart attack may be only feet from medical care but miles from the laboratory testing needed to […]
How NSF-Funded PATHS-UP Engineering Research Technology Could Change Lyme Disease Diagnosis
For many patients with Lyme disease, the hardest part of getting better is getting a clear answer. Symptoms can be confusing, early tests can miss infections, and the current recommended testing process often requires multiple steps before patients and doctors have the information they need. For UCLA undergraduate researcher Olivia Goodreau, this challenge is personal. […]
PATHS-UP IPAB Newsletter – READ ALL ABOUT IT!
📢 New PATHS-UP IPAB Newsletter – 1st Quarter 2025 📢 We’re excited to share the latest edition of the PATHS-UP Industry Practitioner Advisory Board (IPAB) Newsletter! This issue highlights: ✅ Dr. Aydogan Ozcan’s Election to the National Academy of Engineering – Recognizing his contributions to mobile sensing and telepathology. ✅ New Startup Spotlight: CardiaTex, Inc. […]
Dr. Aydogan Ozcan Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, Recognized for Contributions to PATHS-UP Research
Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, a distinguished researcher in computational imaging and biomedical sensing, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2025—one of the highest professional honors in engineering. This prestigious recognition highlights his groundbreaking work in advancing photonics-based sensing and artificial intelligence-driven imaging technologies, which have significantly impacted global healthcare. As […]
2024 Digital Health Workshop Seed Fund Announcements
The 2024 Digital Health Workshop, held on August 27-28, 2024, at Rice University in Houston, brought together experts to drive innovation in digital health for addressing chronic health challenges in both adult and pediatric populations. Organized by the U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center (NSF ERC) funded Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for […]
Dr. Watson Receives Rare ABET Award!
Dr. Watson, the NSF PATHS-UP Workforce Development Director, has been honored with a rare ABET award, celebrating her 30 years of dedicated service to engineering education. This prestigious recognition underscores her impactful contributions to workforce development and her commitment to advancing engineering education. Through her leadership in PATHS-UP, Dr. Watson continues to shape future engineers, […]
Students Win 1st Place at 2024 BMEN Undergraduate Research Symposium
We’re thrilled to announce that three exceptional students from Dr. Hatice Ceylan Koydemir’s lab in Texas A&M University’s Biomedical Engineering Department have secured 1st place in the non-AEMB group at the 2024 BMEN Undergraduate Research Symposium. Their groundbreaking project, titled “Developing a Smartphone Application for Cardiac Health Monitoring,” impressed judges and fellow participants alike. Meet […]
Dr. Coté receives the Texas A&M University Chancellor’s Innovation Award!
Congratulations to Dr. Coté for receiving the 2024 Chancellor’s Innovation Award. This prestigious award acknowledges the outstanding efforts of faculty, staff, and teams who have made transformative and groundbreaking contributions to teaching, research, and service at Texas A&M institutions. The award not only recognizes innovative projects but also provides support for their further development, fostering […]
2023 Digital Health Workshop Seed Fund Winners
The first Digital Health Workshop aimed at catalyzing advancements in digital health toward cardiovascular and diabetes research that addresses the needs of both adult and pediatric populations was held at Rice University, Houston, on August 29-30, 2023. Spearheaded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations (PATHS-UP), […]
Congratulations to Dr. Sam Mabbott and Cyril Soliman
PATHS-UP Fellows (graduate students) who just finished his Ph.D., Cyril Soliman, as well as one of PATHS-UP faculty, Sam Mabbott (leading the C2C grant) and one of our industry advisor board members, Michael Matthews, vice president of the spectroscopy division at Wasatch Photonics, had an exciting discussion on their work to develop a surface-enhanced Raman […]
PATHS-UP 1st Quarter Newsletter
Here are some exciting updates and upcoming events about our center Annual Report: Our annual report has been completed and handed in early this month. This report provides a comprehensive overview of our center’s research, workforce development, culture of inclusion, and innovation. We are proud of our achievements over the past year, and we look […]
PATHS-UP Get Renewed!
Our center has been renewed for another five years by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This renewal is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, students, and staff who have contributed to the success of the center. The goals and mission remain unchanged. This funding will allow the center to continue […]
PATHS UP Interns
PATHS-UP graduate students have the opportunity to go to internships with our affiliated industry partners. This is an incredible opportunity for students to get real-world experience in their field of study. PATHS-UP graduates have gone on to work at some of the most renowned companies in the world, and they attribute their success to the […]
2022 Seed Fund Winners
The PATHS-UP Innovation Seed Fund was established to enable the funding of faculty and student- led innovation projects that aligned with the vision and mission of PATHS-UP. The Innovation Ecosystem Team, under the advice of the Industry and Practitioner Advisory Board (IPAB) and approved by the Executive leadership team of PATHS-UP, created the fund with […]
New Thrust 2 Lead!
We have a new Thrust 2 lead, Dr Hatice Ceylan Koydemir. We would however like to first thank Dr. Kristen Maitland for her service within PATHS-UP and wish her all the best in her future endeavours. We recently had a Q&A with our new Thrust 2 lead which is an assistant professor at Texas A&M. […]
PATHS UP in Top 10 Cited Paper of Biosensors 2021
Congratulations to our PATHS-UP team on getting a top 10 cited paper, Sources of Inaccuracy in Photoplethysmography for Continuous Cardiovascular Monitoring of 2021 in Biosensors. This was a Thrust 3 paper, spear headed by two PhD students, and Dr Jessica Ramella- Roman and her team in FIU. Figure 1 (a) Photoplethysmography (PPG) waveform: 1. systolic peak; 2. […]