| Enabling Rapid Detection of Label-Free RNA for Use in COVID-19 Testing |
- Earlier detection: Identifying the viral components themselves—rather than the body’s reaction to the viral presence (i.e., antibodies)—potentially improves early detection in asymptomatic subjects.
- Simpler process: Use of minimal reagents and fewer preparatory steps is designed to enable more efficient and facile sample preparation. Avoidance of “wash steps” aims to minimize target loss.
- Fewer disruptions: Avoiding the use of high-demand supplies (e.g., swabs) and reagents potentially reduces supply-chain and contamination issues.
|
8669 |
|
| Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA)–Based Opsin Expression Enables New and Safer Optogenetic Studies |
- Opsin expression using messenger RNA (mRNA) provides an alternative to viral vectors for use in optogenetic studies involving neurons as well as drug testing with cardiomyocytes.
- Expression with mRNAs has lower toxicity and is usually detectable within 2–24 hours rather than 2–3 weeks.
- The controllable and temporary nature of mRNA offers improved expression regulation based on the transfection amount.
|
7534 |
|
| Soft Wireless Sternal Patch for Detecting Systemic Vasoconstriction Using Photoplethysmography |
- A wireless, soft sternal patch includes integrated skin-like, photolithographically patterned electronics specifically tuned to continuously measure vasoconstriction from the sternum.
- In overnight trials, the device detected sleep apnea and hypopnea with 95% precision and 100% sensitivity compared to data professionally scored by licensed clinicians.
- Use of this patch on the chest could improve detection of key markers of numerous harmful health conditions.
|
9170 |
|
| Targeted Single Cell Electroporation for Gene and Cell Therapy |
- The technology enables high efficiency delivery and high post-electroporation cell viability compared to current commercial electroporation systems.
- The technology performs in-flow single cell measurements integrated with electroporation unlike current commercial electroporation systems which have no single cell measurement capabilities.
- The technology enables automatic feedback control and real-time optimization of electroporation parameters at the single-cell level unlike current commercial electroporation systems which apply the same parameters to all cells in a batch at a bulk scale.
- The technology enables selected or targeted electroporation and delivery to selected cells or cell types from a mixture of cells unlike current commercial electroporation systems which require upstream or downstream cell sorting steps.
|
9086 |
|
| Universal Transcriptional Programming in a Bacteroides Consortium Creates a Foundation to Advance Living Therapeutics |
- Consortium-based, universal transcriptional programming framework is a biotic decision-making technology using genetic circuit compression in a Bacteroides community.
- Compressed genetic circuit design shortens circuit-building time, offers a compact circuit footprint that allows more complexity, uses fewer resources, and reduces cell communication time.
- Has potential applications in living therapeutics, advanced biomanufacturing, and next-generation biosecurity.
|
9006 |
|
| Portable, Reusable, Micropower Radiation Monitors Provide Real-Time Assessment of Radiation Risk |
- Innovative radiation detection system provides real-time, on-demand, micropower detection in a versatile design.
- The device materials offer higher conductivity (mobility) than silicon, resulting in reduced power needs (i.e., requiring power only during read-out).
- Selection and layering of channel and gate materials enables tuning devices for different radiation types.
|
8084 |
|
| “Smart” Feedback-Controlled Bioreactor Platform Enables Consistent High-Yield and High-Quality MSC Products |
- Scaled-down feedback-controlled hollow fiber-based bioreactor enables identifying the critical quality attributes and critical process parameters for high-quantity and high-quality hCT-MSCs for ideal cell growth and efficacy
- Provides the controls to maintain optimum conditions and improve expansion yield and cell viability
- System can be adapted and applied to industrial cell therapy manufacturing and can enable high-yield and high-quality products while minimizing variabilities
|
8887 |
|
| High-Precision, Hands-Free Remote Control of Complex Robotic Systems Via Eye Movements |
- This two-camera eye-tracking system (TCES) integrates a commercial eye tracker with machine-learning technology for continuous real-time classification of gaze and eye directions for robotic arm control.
- The system provides highly accurate classification for four directions of eye movement and has achieved 99.99% accuracy in studies.
- Using simple eye movement, the TCES offers low-cost, high-precision control of external devices/hardware for people with disabilities, surgery robots, warehouse systems, construction tools, and more.
|
9184 |
|
| Parametric Resonance Approach for Efficient, Versatile Acoustic Power Transfer for Implantable/Wearable Devices, Sensing, and Communications |
- New class of transducers utilizes parametric resonance to convert acoustic energy from an ultrasonic source to a sustained electrical signal.
- Technology powers implantable biomedical devices, small wearable sensors, and other wireless charging applications.
- Simple yet robust generation of stable electromechanical frequency combs is also possible in both air and liquid environments using a capacitive micro-resonator array.
|
7635, 9075 |
|
| Efficiently Generating Complex Hydrogel Structures for Tissue/Organ-on-a-Chip Models |
- Faster: Reduces preparation time from several hours to minutes
- Simplified: Generates complex patterns, including perfusable channels, using light-triggered polymerization of synthetic hydrogels and photomasks rather than current equipment-intensive methods that use laser-based patterning or ablation techniques
- Lowers regulatory burdens: Using synthetic rather than biological matrices simplifies regulatory hurdles, increases reproducibility from batch to batch, and increases tunability of the mechanical and biochemical properties of the matrix
|
8838, 8839 |
|
| patcherBotPHARMA Automated Intracellular Pharmacological Electrophysiology Robot |
- Increased efficiency: Autonomous operation ensures accurate placement of components and creates high success rates for experiment completion.
- Decreased human effort: Performs typical ligand-gated ionotropic receptor experimentation protocols autonomously for up to a tenfold reduction in operator interaction time over the duration of the experiment
- Higher experiment yield: Rapidly replicates previous datasets, reducing the time to produce an 8-point concentration response curve from weeks of recording to ~13 hours of recording
|
8717 |
|
| DetectIV Offers Noninvasive Early IV Infiltration and Extravasation Detection |
- DetectIV provides a continuous, noninvasive, and wireless IV infiltration and extravasation detection system.
- The sensor does not cover the IV site and works well with all skin types—significant improvements over existing detection devices.
- The device detects infiltrations on average 2 hours ahead of nursing standard of care making it an effective early detection system that prevents extended hospital stays.
|
7207 |
|
| Microrobots for Neurosurgery Applications |
- Minimally invasive: Significantly reduces invasiveness of procedures in comparison to current macroscale, neurosurgical robots
- Precise control: Uses 3D position data of the microrobots on the brain surface in a closed-loop system to adjust the magnetic field parameters (i.e., magnitude, frequency, phase, and direct current [DC] offset of each coil) as well as the forces the robots exert to the biopsy tissue
- Facilitates movement: Employs microfabricated shapes that dictate the microrobot's movements, limits their contact with the brain surface to reduce adhesion, and may also provide a means for the robot to propel itself in fluid
|
8749 |
|
| Smart, Wireless, Bioelectronic Pacifier for Real-Time Continuous Salivary Electrolyte Monitoring in Infants |
- Smart pacifier offers wireless, real-time, continuous detection of sodium and potassium levels in infants.
- This totally non-invasive monitoring pacifier eliminates the need for blood draws, which can only be done three times each day, and is designed to provide non-invasive neonatal health monitoring.
- Microfluidic channels are designed to efficiently pump optimum quantities and concentration of viscous saliva to the sensor area for quick measurement and to eliminate the need to induce salivary stimulation.
|
8942 |
|
| Quantitative, Multiplexed Electronic Detection of COVID-19 Biomarkers |
- Direct electronic detection: This innovation provides direct detection of biomarkers as a simple electronic readout without the use of any intermediate optics.
- Multiplexed: The device can simultaneously detect multiple biomarkers (e.g., a four-plex chip to detect IgG and IgM antibodies against spike or nucleocapsid antigens).
- Portable: A handheld, cellphone-interfaced reader is designed to enable detection and monitoring of diseases in remote areas for sensitive yet inexpensive point-of-care use.
|
8814 |
|
| Recirculation System for Aerosol Collectors Maximizes Particle Concentration for Improved Pathogen Detection |
- Enhanced detection: Continuously recirculated collection buffer increases the concentration of targeted particles collected and improves detection of pathogens
- Increased sampled air volume: Recirculating the buffer enables running the system for longer periods of time and with larger volumes of air to improve pathogen detection in entire buildings
- Increased control: Users have active control of the volume of fluid introduced during collection via the system’s recharge pump
|
8903 |
|
| Fourier Light-Field Microscope (FLFM) for Fast, Volumetric, and High-Resolution Imaging of Entire Organoids |
- Cost-efficient and scalable: Is fully adaptable to epifluorescence protocols resulting in a system that is both cost-efficient and highly scalable
- Fast: Captures fast cellular and tissue dynamic processes in a simultaneous, volumetric manner (e.g., collective cellular responses at sub-second time scales across whole samples)
- Validated: Responses to extracellular physical cues such as osmotic and mechanical stresses have been recorded using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived colon organoids (hCOs).
|
8844 |
|
| Cell-free Biosensors to Detect Creatinine, Creatine, and Sarcosine |
- Portable: This technology demonstrates the potential to develop point-of-care screening and monitoring, which is essential to expanding access to care worldwide, including to low- and middle-income countries.
- Inexpensive: CFE-based biosensors can cost as little as a few cents per test and could provide a low-cost alternative to current renal function monitoring and diagnosis, which currently involves laboratory visits, trained phlebotomists, skilled technicians, and expensive, specialized equipment.
- Cell-free: The use of a cell-free expression system could enable easier-to-read quantitative output that is less susceptible to matrix effects.
|
8776 |
|
| A Biological Computing Framework for Living Systems |
- Innovative: Builds on probabilistic computing principles to construct analog biological bits, enabling an entirely new set of logic gates and algorithms and potentially allowing users to solve previously intractable problems
- Robust: Can sense every extracellular protease encoded in the human genome, for which there is a known peptide substrate, enabling a simple plug-and-play framework for communicating with a variety of biological activities and offering performance competitive with DNA-based computers but with increased processing speed
- Relevant: Provides a framework based on biological activity and constructed from biological materials, which enables a direct interface with and understanding of living materials and systems
|
8009 |
|
| Wearable Health Monitoring Device Improves Data Quality and Accuracy |
- High performance: Captures real-time, real-world data of multiple physiological signals with a significant reduction in MA interference
- Chest-mounted: Provides more accurate ECG, heart rate, respiratory rate, and activity detection than existing wrist-worn commercial monitors
- Comfortable: Adheres securely and discretely to the skin using a breathable soft membrane for continuous conformal contact, eliminating excessive sweating and skin irritation
|
8691 |
|
