Innovator Spotlight: Dr. Robert Davis & 9+1AI |
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For nearly a century, the electrocardiogram (ECG) has helped clinicians understand the heart by analyzing its electrical activity. But what if more information could be extracted from the signal than the human eye can see?
That question is at the heart of 9+1AI, a digital health startup developing artificial intelligence tools that analyze ECGs to identify cardiovascular risk and disease earlier.
The company emerged from a research collaboration involving the University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Medicine–Memphis (UTHS COM–Memphis) and Wake Forest School of Medicine. The technology recently received Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a designation for certain medical devices that may provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions.
“We believe the ECG holds far more information than clinicians have traditionally been able to extract,” said Dr. Robert Davis, M.D., M.P.H., co-founder and chief medical officer of 9+1AI. “Artificial intelligence allows us to detect patterns in the signal that may reveal disease long before symptoms appear.”
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Fiscal Year 2027 Statistics* |
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*Numbers reflect information 07/01/2026 - 08/31/2026 and are subject to change
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- 50 Invention Disclosures
- 15 U.S. Patents Filed
- 5 U.S. Patents Issued
- 14 Licenses
- 1 Startups
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- 26 Innovations Being Marketing
- 100 Companies Contacted
- 41 Company Responses
- 23 Company Discussions
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| Innovation Disclosures |
U.S. Patents Filed | U.S. Patents Issued | Licenses |
Startups |
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| 50 | 15 |
5 | 14 | 1 |
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| Innovations being Marketed |
Companies Contacted | Companies Responded | Company Discussions |
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| 26 |
100 | 41 |
23 |
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UTRF's Technology Maturation Award is Now Accepting Applications |
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Applications Due to Campus Specific Office of Research by October 31, 2026 |
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UTRF's Technology Maturation Award aims to assist innovators in advancing new technologies on the path to market by awarding up to $20,000 in direct costs to the highest ranking proposals.
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UTRF's Knoxville Office Welcomes New Assistant Technology Manager |
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UTRF's Knoxville Office is excited to welcome Rachel Valentine, Ph.D., as an assistant technology manager. In this role, Rachel works closely with inventors to understand the scientific and commercial potential of new technologies and helps translate complex discoveries into compelling opportunities for industry engagement.
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Congratulations to UTRF Startup Endeavor Composites! |
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Endeavor Composites Expanding to New Manufacturing Facility |
The new facility marks Endeavor Composites' transition into a manufacturing company ready to serve major industrial and national security markets.
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"This is what tech transfer really means. It is taking lab innovation to real-life commercialization to make our lives better. This expansion is not just a win for the company. It’s a profound validation of the entrepreneurial pipeline that we have worked so hard to cultivate right here in East Tennessee.” - Maha Krishnamurthy, UT Research Foundation President
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Outreach completed by the UTRF team during September 2026
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Attended the Tennessee Statewide Cancer Collaborative hosted by the UT Health Sciences in Nashville.
- Attended a community event hosted by the Hearing and Speech Foundation.
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| | - Attended the UT Medical Center’s Research Showcase.
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Attended the 3686 Conference hosted by LaunchTN in Nashville.
- Attended the UT Institute of Agriculture’s Toast to success event.
- Attended the UT Institute of Agricultures' 2026 Steak and Potatoes Field Day. Presented lectures at UT Knoxville’s College of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Plant Sciences and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
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| U.S. Patents Issued to UT Innovators in August 2026
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12,714,688 | Margaric Acid Decreases PIEZ02-Mediated Pain
D1,144,901 | Upper Extremity Tremor Control Device
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UT Innovators with newly opened disclosures in August 2026.
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Samantha Haus
Tickle College of Engineering, Center for Transportation Research
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Fuhar Dixit
Tickle College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Runlin Wu
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Ahmedullah Aziz
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Jacob McClaugherty
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Ali Mizrak
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Xiangyu Li
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Zhenbo Wang
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Siamak Farhad
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Unmanaa Dewanjee
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Manuel Scharrer
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
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Jiangbiao He
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Md Udoy
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Anming Hu
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Bilge Gokcecik
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Zhili Zhang
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Patrick Park
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Sabrullah Deniz
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Lida Heydari Khoshkelat
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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David Fieser
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Peng Zhao
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Han Yu
Tickle College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute |
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Umesh Marathe
Circular Bioeconomy Systems
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Saurabh Pethe
Bredesen Center, Energy Science and Engineering Program
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UT Institute of Agriculture |
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John Munafo
Dept. of Food Science
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Andrew Pulte
Herbert College of Agriculture, Dept. of Plant Sciences
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Cengizhan Ozturk
Herbert College of Agriculture, Dept. of Plant Sciences
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Zenithson Ng
College of Veterinary Medicine, Dept. of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
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Tarek Hewezi
Herbert College of Agriculture, Dept. of Plant Sciences
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Subhash Chauhan
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Vivek Kashyap
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Duane Miller
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Michio Kurosu
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Jianxiong Jiang
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Xinrui Yuan
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Tauheed Ishrat
College of Medicine - Knoxville, Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology
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Meena Jaggi
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Wei Li
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Murali Yallapu
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Katsuhiko Mitachi
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Chao-Yie Yang
College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Djamel LeBeche
College of Medicine - Memphis, Dept. of Physiology
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Joshua Tyler
College of Engineering & Computer Science, Dept. of Electrical Engineering
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Donald Reising
College of Engineering & Computer Science, Dept. of Electrical Engineering
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Have an Idea? Let's Talk! |
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