Albuquerque, NM – June 17, 2014 The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued 15 patents during January, February and March for technologies invented at the University of New Mexico. The 15 patents, issued during STC’s 2014 fiscal 3rd quarter, are for a variety of technologies created by researchers in the Department of Chemical & Nuclear Engineering, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Center for High Technology Materials, Center for Molecular Discovery, Department of Pathology, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Computer Science, and Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Issued Patent for: “High Resolution Focusing and Separation of Proteins in Nanofluidic Channels”
Patent No.: 8,623,192, issued January 7, 2014
Inventors: Sang M. Han, Youn-Jin Oh, and Cornelius Ivory
Developing an integrated platform to concentrate, separate and characterize low-abundance proteins at high resolution as a means of identifying trace biomarkers would have a significant impact in detection and treatment of human diseases. This invention is a method and device for a nanochannel apparatus that provides a versatile platform to separate proteins with high resolution, using different separation techniques such as isoelectric focusing and dynamic field gradient focusing. The method and device are comprised of a semiconductor substrate defining nanochannels through which protein movement can be induced by electrical potential.
Issued Patent for: “Non-Invasive Diagnostic Agents and Methods of Diagnosing Infectious Disease”
Patent No.: 8,623,322, issued January 7, 2014
Inventor: Jeffrey P. Norenberg
This novel technology is a molecular imaging probe for identification of tissues expressing LFA1 to aid in the diagnosis of infection. Specifically, this probe is composed of a small molecule targeting LFA1 expression. When a radioisotope is incorporated into this probe, it can be used as a diagnostic tool to identify the existence of a disease, the extent of the disease, and can be used to monitor therapy. When this probe is alternatively coupled with a pharmaceutical agent such as an anti-cancer, anti-microbial, or anti-bacterial agent, it can be used as a therapeutic to treat an infectious disease or condition. This technology represents a significant advance and a major step forward in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease using non-invasive molecular imaging and targeting techniques.
Issued Patent for: “Lens-Less Digital Microscope”
Patent No.: 8,624,968, issued January 7, 2014
Inventors: Stephen D. Hersee, Majeed M. Hayat, and Pradeep Sen
This technology to develop a solid-state microscope will have a weight and size both less than 1/1000 the weight and size of a conventional optical microscope, and can provide an image resolution better than 1 μm. Scalable fabrication processes are used making the microscope cheap, highly portable and robust while nevertheless maintaining an excellent optical resolution. Versions this microscope could be fabricated to tolerate extreme environments (for example, high temperatures or acidic liquids) where a regular microscope will not operate. It should also be possible to make a microscope that would be small enough for in-vivo microscopy that could be of great benefit for the real-time evaluation of drug treatments.
Issued Patent for: “Process to Make Core-Shell Structured Nanoparticles”
Patent No.: 8,623,470, issued January 7, 2014
Inventors: Monique Richard, Claudia Luhrs, and Jonathan Phillips
This technology is a process for making nanocomposite materials, such as metal/carbon, alloy/carbon, metal/ceramic, ceramic/carbon, or two different ceramic/ceramic materials at the nanometric scale that contains core-shell structured nanoparticles. The process includes providing a precursor in the form of a dry precursor powder, a liquid and/or a vapor of a liquid that contains a core material and a shell material, and suspending the precursor in an aerosol gas to produce an aerosol containing the precursor. In addition, the process includes providing a plasma that has a hot zone and passing the aerosol through the hot zone of the plasma. As the aerosol passes through the hot zone of the plasma, at least part of the core material and at least part of the shell material in the aerosol is vaporized. Vapor that contains the core material and the shell material that has been vaporized is removed from the hot zone of the plasma and lowed to condense into core-shell structured nanoparticles.
Issued Patent for: “Flow Cytometry for High Throughput Screening”
Patent No.: 8,637,261, January 28, 2014
Inventors: Larry A. Sklar, Bruce S. Edwards, and Frederick Kuckuck
The HyperCyt fluorescent detection and analysis system and services provides a simple solution to high throughput cytometry that allows samples to be removed from sample wells in multiple well plates at rates exceeding one sample per second and sample volumes in the range of 5 microliters or less. In order to perform these applications, a flow cytometer with at least one laser is required, while multiple lasers provide for increased multiplexing of samples. The HyperCyt system incorporates a sample handler and cytometer that is integrated with a plate handling system and should be used with real-time data analysis for optimal performance.
Issued Patent for: “Biofuel Cell Electrocatalysts Utilizing Enzyme-Carbon Nanotube Adducts”
Patent No.: 8,642,308, issued February 4, 2014
Inventors: Plamen Atanassov, Dmitri Ivnitski, Ramaraja P. Ramasamy, Heather R. Luckarift, Glen R. Johnson, and Carolin Lau
High functionality and high flexibility of carbon nanotube devices are desirable in electrical applications because they increase the ability to manipulate the electrical characteristics of the device. This technology presents a novel design and development of a bio-cathode for a biofuel cell based on direct electrical communication between redox centers of enzymes and electrodes. The direct electron transfer (DET) mode eliminates the inherent limitations of redox mediators in biological fuel cell and biosensor applications. Carbon nanotubes are used in this technology as a useful bridge between redox center and electrode.
Issued Patent for: “Process to Make Structured Particles”
Patent No.:8,642,139, issued February 4, 2014
Inventors: Angela Michelle Knapp, Monique Richard, Claudia Luhrs, Timothy Blada, and Jonathan Phillips
This technology is for a process for making a composite material that contains structured particles and in some cases structured nanoparticles. The structured particles can be used as an electro-active material, a catalyst material, a hydrogen storage material and the like. The method results in core-shell structured metallic/composite nanoparticles with a tight particle size distribution at a high and scalable production rate.
Issued Patent for: “Polymer Scaffold Degradation Control via Chemical Control”
Patent No.: 8,648,167, issued February 11, 2014
Inventors: Elizabeth L. Hedberg-Dirk, Shawn Dirk, and Kirsten Cicotte
This technology provides a novel technique for creating a crosslinkable polymer system. It is applicable to all polymers with glass transition temperatures lower than room temperature, which also contain a photo-crosslinkable functional group. The system is crosslinked to produce non-calendaring 3D porous scaffolds for use in tissue engineering.
Issued Patent for: “Spectral Ratio Contrast for Edge Detection in Spectral Images”
Patent No.: 8,649,607, issued February 11, 2014
Inventors: Majeed M. Hayat, Sanjay Krishna, Biliana Stefanova Paskaleva
Image segmentation is one of the most important and difficult tasks in digital image processing. It represents a key stage of automated image analysis and interpretation. This technology is a novel joint spatio-spectral algorithm for edge detection of MS and HS images. The algorithm, which is named Spectral Ratio Contrast (SRC), is designed as a dedicated MS/HS edge detection algorithm. The algorithm fuses a given spatial mask with the spectral band ratios from a given edge signature into a non-separable, three-dimensional spatio-spectral mask. This technology also utilizes the concept of the spectral ratio contrast to estimate similarity and discontinuity in a HS/MS image.
Issued Patent for: “System and Method for Using a Dynamic Gamma Knife for Radiosurgery”
Patent No.:8,654,923, issued February 18, 2014
Inventors:Shuang (Sean) Luan, Nathan Swanson, and Lijun Ma
This technology is a dynamic dose delivery model for Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Gamma Knife has been the treatment of choice for many brain tumors and functional disorders. This dynamic Gamma Knife treatment scheme is based on the concept of “dose-painting” to take advantage of robotic patient positioning system on the latest Gamma Knife unit. In this innovative system, the spherical high dose volume created by the Gamma Knife unit is viewed as a 3D spherical “paintbrush”, and treatment planning reduces to finding the best route of the “paintbrush” to “paint” a 3D tumor volume. Under this dose-painting concept, Gamma Knife radiosurgery becomes dynamic, where the patient is moving continuously under the robotic positioning system. This dynamic scheme provides equal or better dose distributions than current Gamma Knife method but with a significantly shortened treatment time.
Issued Patent for: “Nanowires, Nanowire Networks and Methods for Their Formation and Use”
Patent No.:8,658,519, issued February 25, 2014
Inventor:Stephen D. Hersee
Building on the inventor’s prior invention for the fabrication of precision GaN nanowires, where the location, geometry and orientation of each nanowire is precisely controlled, this invention teaches the fabrication of three-dimensional networks of GaN nanowires. Small diameter GaN nanowires have been created by vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) synthesis approaches; however, self-assembly typically results in highly tapered or densely tangled nanowires that must be removed from their parent substrate for the meaningful measurements to be performed. By contrast, the new approach invented for this invention will produce arrays of highly-oriented nanowires of constant diameter, and these nanowires can remain attached to the parent substrate for measurement.
Issued Patent for: “Synthesis of Stable Elastomeric Negative Acoustic Contrast Particles”
Patent No.:8,658,734, issued February 25, 2014
Inventors: Gabriel P. Lopez, Dimiter N. Petsev, Nick J. Carroll, Kevin Wallace Cushing, and Steven W. Graves
This technology describes novel methods for making negative contrast elastomeric microparticles whose compressibility/density ratio can be well controlled. These elastomeric microparticles have a density/compressibility ratio that is less than that of water; and therefore, exhibit negative contrast under acoustic radiation exposure. This negative contrast allows our elastomeric microparticles to be acoustically manipulated (e.g. separated) differently from other components (e.g. cells) within an aqueous solution. This technology also includes methods to size-control and synthesis of stable monodisperse elastomeric microparticles from a wide range of elastomers such as polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), natural rubber, polyurethanes, silicone rubbers, butyl rubbers, and ethylene-vinyl acetates. This invention also describes methods for bio functionalization of the elastomeric microparticles for use as platforms for bioassays.
Issued Patent for: “System and Methods of Compressed Sensing as Applied to Computer Graphics and Computer Imaging”
Patent No.:8,666,180, issued March 4, 2014
Inventors:Pradeep Sen and Aliakbar Darabi
This technology is a method of reconstructing signals (image, video, etc.) using compressed sensing to accurately estimate signals from a set of samples such as a multidimensional signal estimated from point samples and to accurately estimate missing pixel values to obtain an approximation of an original signal. This allows them to do higher-quality rendering with less samples than previous approaches and also provides improved methods for demosaicing applications.
Issued Patent for: “Carbon Fiber Foam Composites and Methods for Making the Same”
Patent No.: 8,679,381, issued on March 25, 2014
Inventors: Zayd Leseman, Mark Atwater, and Jonathan Phillips
This technology is a method for generating fibrous carbon foam at a relatively low temperature and pressure that is inexpensive and provides maximum flexibility in the shape and/or dimensions of the resulting foam. Since the fibers are made of carbon, the foam is also conductive, the extent of which can be controlled during processing or after. Additionally, foreign components such as carbon or glass fibers can be incorporated into the foam, to create a composite material. The low temperature process allows for many materials with low melting temperatures to be included that are restricted in other foam processes due to high temperature requirements. This new method for generating carbon foam eliminates the lengthy carbonization steps and/or elevated pressures and temperatures used in conventional methods. Additionally, since complex geometries can be accomplished in situ, no later modification is needed to finish the product.
Issued Patent for: “Nanocrystalline Optically-based Neutron Irradiation History Sensor”
Patent No.: 8,680,469, issued on March 25, 2014
Inventors: Nathan Withers, Marek Osinski, and Gennady Smolyakov
This technology is a novel method of optical detection of thermal neutrons based on the concept for combining neutron detection and retrieval information about the level and timing of thermal neutron exposure that may have occurred prior to recovery of the data stored by a miniature, nanocrystal-based sensor.
Source: STC.UNM
For more information, contact:
Denise Bissell
(505) 272-7310
dbissell@stc.unm.edu