The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) issued twenty-seven patents over the last 6 months for technologies invented at the University of New Mexico.
Fiscal Year 2016 – Quarter 4
The USPTO issued eighteen patents during April, May and June for technologies invented at the University of New Mexico. The technologies were created by UNM researchers in the centers and departments of Center for High Technology Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Pathology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Internal Medicine, Physics & Astronomy, Chemical & Biological Engineering, Center for Emerging Energy Technologies, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Center for Molecular Discovery, Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, and Center for Micro-Engineered Materials.
Issued Patent for “Active Bidirectional Mode-Locked Lasers and Applications to Accurate Measurements in Navigation Systems”
Patent No. 9,306,363, issued April 5, 2016
Inventors: Alexandre B. Braga, Jean-Claude Diels, Ronald R. Kay
This technology measures both absolute and relative attitude of a vehicle using an intra-cavity phase interferometer (IPI) method and an active bidirectional mode-locked laser that measures all three attitude rotation vectors (“pitch”, “yawn”, and “row”) and measures the vehicle’s position relative to earth using information from its local magnetic field. Applications: satellites and satellite navigation, space crafts, acceleration detection, optical-based guidance, and guidance, navigation and control systems (GNC systems)
Issued Patent for “Low Power Photonic Control of Microwave Power Using Bulk Illumination and RF Resonance”
Patent No. 9,306,265, issued April 5, 2016
Inventors: Mani Hossein-Zadeh
This technology introduces a new technique for low-power photonic control of RF resonance in which bulk illumination of silicon in the 1000-1100 nm range is used to control the resonant field of a microwave ring resonator. Using this technique, the transmitted RF power through a microstripline-ring filter fabricated on a junction-less silicon substrate can be changed with record low power.
Issued Patent for “Aerosol Reduction /Expansion Synthesis (A-RES) for Zero Valent Metal Particles”
Patent No. 9,308,585, issued April 12, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventors: Zayd Leseman, Claudia Luhrs, Jonathan Phillips, Haytham Soliman
This technology is an aerosol method for producing micro- and nano-zero valent metal particles. The particles are pure and porous. The aerosol method (A-RES) can continuously produce reduced metal particles and alloys, for a wide range of metals, sizes, and densities from ordinary, easily handled chemicals in a single rapid step using standard and simple equipment.
Issued Patent for “High Affinity Small Molecule Formylpeptide Receptor Ligands from Screening of Combinatorial Mixture-Based Libraries”
Patent No. 9,310,364, issued April 12, 2016
Inventors: Bruce S. Edwards, Larry A. Sklar, Clemencia Pinilla, Richard A. Houghten, Jon R. Appel, Marc A. Giulianotti, Jose Medina-Franco
This technology presents newly-identified compounds that are structurally different from formylpeptide receptor (FPR) ligands. The compounds exhibit uniquely potent agonist and antagonist interactions with two FPRs heavily associated with antibacterial and chronic inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease, prion diseases, and ischemia. The compounds are ideal probes and drug candidates.
Issued Patent for “Method for Cancer Cell Reprogramming”
Patent No. 9,314,460, issued April 19, 2016
Inventors: Alexandre Chigaev, Larry A. Sklar, Dominique Perez
This technology is a novel assay to detect and characterize the removal of cellular regulators as a diagnostic tool for hematological cancers that will then respond to treatment with a repurposed drug. The technology reprograms apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. The technology can be used to test individual patient blood samples for individualized treatment of malignancies.
Issued Patent for “Wafer Level Integration for Focal Plane Arrays Having a Flexible Conductive Layer to Provide an Optical Aperture for Each Pixel”
Patent No. 9,318,517, issued April 19, 2016
Inventors: John A. Montoya, Sanjay Krishna, Stephen Myers
This technology is a new focal plane array (FPA) architecture that redefines key components of a conventional FPA and uses three-dimensional wafer processing techniques to achieve certain design goals. This new FPA architecture has a longer thermal cycle lifetime and very thin semiconductor contact layers. In addition, this process enables the design and fabrication of new, highly advanced FPAs.
Issued Patent for “Methods and Related Compositions for the Treatment of Cancer”
Patent No. 9,326,974, issued May 3, 2016
Inventors: Todd A. Thompson, Debra Mackenzie, Tudor I. Oprea, Larry A. Sklar, Bruce S. Edwards, Mark Haynes
This technology is a novel method for identifying compounds that induce intracellular vacuoles in both advanced, hormone-sensitive and hormone-refractory prostate cancer cell lines as well as non-prostate cancer cell lines. The ability of these agents to induce intracellular vacuoles is related to the induction of autophagy and ultimately causes cell death.
Issued Patent for “Attenuated Enterohemorrhagic E. coli-Based Vaccine Vector And Methods Relating Thereto”
Patent No. 9,327,019, issued May 3, 2016
Inventors: Edgar C. Boedeker, Isaac Wyatt Byrd
This technology is a vaccine platform for developing live attenuated vaccine strains expressing protective enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) antigens. The vaccine vector uses an existing attenuated (reduced virulence) attaching and effacing E. coli strain with minimal immunogenicity (ability to form an immunological reaction). Applications: E coli, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome vaccines for developing countries, infants, travelers, and the military
Issued Patent for “Rotating Point-Spread Function(PSF) Design for Three-Dimensional Imaging”
Patent No. 9,350,977, issued May 24, 2016
Inventors: Sudhakar Prasad
This technology yields a 3D point-spread function with the ability to rotate with changing defocus while still keeping its transverse shape approximately constant over several waves of defocus. It also offers a broad spatial frequency response with 100% power transmission. This approach may also be generalized for other azimuthally symmetric, monomial phase aberrations. This technology has the potential to revolutionize 3D microscopy of biological samples.
Issued Patent for “Non-Invasive Diagnostic Agents and Methods of Diagnosing Infectious Disease”
Patent No. 9,352,059, issued May 31, 2016
Inventors: Jeffrey P. Norenberg
This technology is a molecular imaging probe with a radioisotope to identify tissues expressing LFA1 to aid in diagnosing and monitoring infection. When the probe is coupled with a drug, such as an anti-cancer, anti-microbial, or anti-bacterial agent, it can be used 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 “Impact Ionization Devices under Dynamic Electric Fields”
Patent No. 9,354,113, issued May 31, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventors: Majeed M. Hayat, John P. David, Sanjay Krishna, Luke F. Lester, David A. Ramirez, Payman Zarkesh-Ha
This technology is a novel, non-traditional ionization-aware dynamic biasing scheme called Dynamic-Bias Enhanced Avalanche Photodiodes (DBE-APD). It enables APDs to meet the high bit-rate demands of the changing telecommunications industry to be suitable for digital 40-Gbps fiber-optic communication links. Applications: fiber optic communication/high-speed optical communication, space (optical) communication, distance measurement, data transmission, range finding, high-speed industrial inspection, various medical and electronic devices, imaging using APD arrays (focal plane arrays with APD detector elements)
Issued Patent for “Rotation-Sensitive Semiconductor Ring Laser Device Using the Nonlinear Sagnac Effect”
Patent No. 9,354,062, issued May 31, 2016
Inventors: Marek A. Osinski, Petr g. Eliseev, Edward W. Taylor
This technology is a novel method of increasing sensitivity in ring laser devices. The method relies on the non-linear sagnac effect (NLSE) and maintains ring size. With this method, the sensitivity slope has an approximate increase of 100-1000 over current methods. Applications: homeland security, navigation systems, and semiconductor devices
Issued Patent for “Facile Fabrication of Scalable, Hierarchically Structured Polymer-Carbon Architectures for Bioelectrodes”
Patent No. 9,356,297, issued May 31, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventors: Plamen B Atanassov, Heather R Luckarift, Glenn R. Johnson, Jared N. Roy, Susan R. Sizemore
This technology is a method for making conductive electrode materials from porous polymer/carbon composites that exhibit a hierarchical structure with defined dimensions, showing great potential for use in MFC anodes. The creation of an open porous structure allows for unrestricted access of nutrients and is combined with a large surface area to encourage interaction between the bacterial cells and the anode interface.
Issued Patent for “CO2 Electroreduction on Metals and Metal Alloys Prepared by Sacrificial Support-based Method”
Patent No. 9,359,681, issued June 7, 2016
Inventors: Alexey Serov, Plamen B Atanassov, Monica Padilla
This technology is a sacrificial support method for metals and metal alloys with high porosity and surface area, resulting in more molecules of CO2 to active sites, increased CO2 solubility, and increased CO2 activity. Application: in fuel cells
Issued Patent for “No-Vibration Cryogenic Cooling of Reference Cavities for High-Precision Metrology Using Optical Refrigeration”
Patent No. 9,362,712, issued June 7, 2016
Inventors: Mansoor Sheik-Bahae, Richard I. Epstein
This technology is a vibration-free, cryogenic cooling system capable of operating at low temperatures. The technology is ideal for cooling reference cavities (for example, a monolithic single-crystal silicon reference cavity cooled to 124K) used to frequency-stabilize lasers to achieve ultra-narrow linewidth (ultra-stable) lasers. Applications: ultra-stable lasers and interferometers, as well as other optical/laser cooling devices
Issued Patent for “Plasmids and Methods for Peptide Display and Affinity-Selection on Virus-Like Particles of RNA Bacteriophages”
Patent No. 9,365,831, issued June 14, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventors: David S. Peabody, Bryce Chackerian
This technology is a method for a MS2 Virus-Like Particle (VLP) platform with an affinity selection capability analogous to that of filamentous phage display. The single-chain MS2 VLP unites in a single structural platform the selective power of phage display with the high immunogenicity of VLPs. Application: a vaccine platform capable of efficiently producing vaccines for both human and veterinary uses
Issued Patent for “Large-Scale Patterning of Germanium Quantum Dots by Stress Transfer”
Patent No. 9,373,547, issued June 21, 2016
Inventors: Sang M. Han, Talid R. Sinno
This technology is a novel process for producing a 2D array of germanium (Ge) quantum dots on silicon-germanium (SiGe) substrates. The process involves reusable technology that has the potential to offer transformative cost-reductions in fabricating a well-defined 2D array of nanostructures. Ge growth is steered in a well-defined nanoscale 2D array with no dislocations and a high degree of uniformity across large areas. Applications: in sensors, data storage, and quantum computing
Issued Patent for “Rab7 GTPase Inhibitors and Related Methods of Treatment”
Patent No. 9,376,452, issued June 28, 2016
Inventors: Angela Wandinger-Ness, Larry Sklar, Jacob Agola, Zurab Surviladze, Jeffrey Aube, Jennifer Golden, Chad E. Schroeder, Denise S. Simpson
This technology is a pan inhibitor of small molecular weight GTPases with submicromolar activity against the Rab7GTPase measured using in vitro assays, as well as in cell-based assays. The compound behaves like a competitive inhibitor and can be accommodated in the nucleotide binding pocket of Rab7. The compound may mimic the activated state of Rab7 and increases membrane bound Rab7. Applications: treatment for neuropathies, immune dysfunction, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and lipid storage diseases
Fiscal Year 2017 – Quarter 1
The USPTO issued nine patents during July, August, and September for technologies invented at the University of New Mexico. The technologies were created by UNM researchers in the centers and departments of Computer Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical & Biological Engineering, Center for Emerging Energy Technologies, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Center for High Technology Materials, Internal Medicine, and Surgery.
Issued Patent for “System and Methods of Photon-based Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery Delivery”
Patent No. 9,387,348, issued July 12, 2016
Inventors: Shuang Luan, Lijun Ma, Zhe Chen
This technology is a novel system for developing a radiosurgery solution for treating local and regional tumors with a dynamic plan. The radiation beam is used dynamically to treat a target tumor volume and has the potential to increase the dose fall-off rate by an order of magnitude.
Issued Patent for “Compounds for Use in Diagnosing and Treating Melanoma, Including Metastatic Melanoma and Methods Related to Same”
Patent No. 9,393,330, issued July 19, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventors: Yubin Miao, Haixun Guo
This technology is a novel use of a melanoma-specific [labeled, lactam bridge-cyclized alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone] peptide to target melanocortin-1 (MC1) receptors to improve the early and accurate detection of melanoma.
Issued Patent for “Carbendazim-Based Catalytic Materials”
Patent No. 9,425,464, issued August 23, 2016
This technology is currently optioned/licensed.
Inventors: Alexey Serov, Plamen B Atanassov
This technology is a method to make M-N-C catalysts that use carbendiazim as an inexpensive precursor for carbon and nitrogen. The composite product has high porosity for increased electro-conductivity and overall increased catalytic performance. The method overcomes the drawbacks of existing M-N-C catalysts as they perform well in alkaline, acid and neutral media, are highly durable, and inexpensive to manufacture.
Issued Patent for “Method and Apparatus for Fabrication of Controlled Chirp Gratings”
Patent No. 9,431,789, issued August 30, 2016
Inventors: Steven R. J. Brueck, Xiang He, Steve Benoit
This technology expands upon the use of chirped grating systems to make high-power, optically-pumped, tunable mid-IR lasers. Chirped gratings are fabricated on the top surfaces of the target substrate, in a longitudinal orientation by translating the pump region up and down to tune the appropriate wavelengths that will be reflected/transmitted. This form of grating uses interferometric lithography for tuning over a wider spectrum.
Issued Patent for “Material Classification Fused with Spatio-Spectral Edge Detection in Spectral Imagery”
Patent No. 9,430,842, issued August 30, 2016
Inventors: Majeed M. Hayat, Sanjay Krishna, Sebastian Eugenio Godoy
The technology is based on identifying joint spatial and spectral features through statistical analysis. The ASRC algorithm fuses thematic classification with spectral edge detection, thus the edge detection threshold process is adaptively changed depending on the spatial diversity of the materials within the imaged scene.
Issued Patent for “Compositions and Methods for Detection, Prevention, and Treatment of Anthrax and Other Infectious Diseases”
Patent No. 9,435,804, issued September 6, 2016
Inventors: Thomas Kozel, William Murphy, Suzanne Brandt, Bruce R. Blazar, Julie A. Lovchik, Peter Thorkildson, Ann Percival, C. Rick Lyons
This technology is a method for vaccine formulation and immunization to better diagnose, treat, and prevent infection of B. anthracis by using the glutamic acid capsule that surrounds the bacteria. The vaccine combines capsulated polypeptides of the Anthrax pathogen and a CD40 agonist that elicit an immunoprotective response in the patient against the pathogen. The method also derives and extracts antibodies to fight the anthrax infection by attacking the polypeptide surrounding capsules.
Issued Patent for “System and Methods for Video Image Processing”
Patent No. 9,451,161, issued September 20, 2016
Inventors: Timothy William Perez, Marios Stephanou Pattichis, Yuebing Jiang
This technology is a video imaging process that allows both the surgeon and the surgeon assistant to watch two separate views of laparoscopic surgery simultaneously. The technology also allows for the surgeon and assistant(s) to choose the visual perspective most suited to their tasks, viewing close detail and or a more general perspective and avoiding the problems of a surgical team viewing a single, shared perspective. Application: a wide range of applications in the surgical field
Issued Patent for “iAnt Swarm Robotic Platform and Evolutionary Algorithms”
Patent No. 9,446,512, issued September 20, 2016
Inventors: Melanie E. Moses, Joshua P. Hecker, Kenneth Letendre, Karl Andrew Stolleis
This technology is an algorithm that models biological ant behaviors, using a genetic algorithm (GA) to tune those behaviors into a team of robots that mimic foraging ants. The technology differs from previous approaches because it does not attempt to evolve basic primitive behaviors from the ground up but models existing biological ant behaviors that have evolved naturally over millions of years. Applications: search and rescue, hazardous waste clean-up, land mine detection and removal, extra planetary exploration, biomedical applications using nano-robots, and other areas utilizing swarm robotic systems
Issued Patent for “Methods of Using Isotopically Labelled Isoniazid for the Diagnosis of Mycobacterial Infections”
Patent No. 9,453,253, issued September 27, 2016
Inventors: Graham Timmins, Seong Choi, Zachary Sharp, Viorel Atudorei, Mamoudou Maiga, William Bishai
This technology is a method for rapidly and accurately diagnosing the presence or absence of a bacterial infection in the lung, in particular, a tuberculosis infection, by measuring exhaled, isotopically labeled nitrogen gas after administration of isotopically labeled isoniazid.