VASCULAR GRAFT AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME
\r\n\r\nUW-Madison researchers have developed a novel manufacturing technique to enhance the compliance of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE… more\r\n\r\nUW-Madison researchers have developed a novel manufacturing technique to enhance the compliance of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) for vascular graft applications. This new method involves modifying the existing processing procedures by introducing an additional expansion step while using a lower temperature during the first expansion stage. The new process results in the production of highly compliant ePTFE grafts without the need for supplementary additives or inherent material alterations. Tensile testing in both the longitudinal and circumferential directions as well as cyclical tensile testing were conducted to characterize the mechanical properties of double-expanded ePTFE grafts prepared using varying expansion ratios. The double-expanded ePTFE grafts consistently outperformed the prevailing, single-expanded counterparts in both tensile stress tests and cyclical assessments of its elastic compliance. Notably, the double-expanded ePTFE samples exhibited the desirable, biomimetic “toe-region” and an elastic strain capacity of up to 50%, comparable to native vascular materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging was used to examine the morphological characteristics of the wavy fibers within the double-expanded PTFE samples, which contributed to the enhanced compliance that is needed for vascular graft applications. less |
Primary:
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
Date posted: Mar 18, 2024 |
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HIGH ENERGY 3-D PRINTER EMPLOYING CONTINUOUS PRINT PATH
\r\n\r\nUW-Madison innovators have designed a continuous helical 3D metal printer with an unbounded rotating powder volume… more\r\n\r\nUW-Madison innovators have designed a continuous helical 3D metal printer with an unbounded rotating powder volume. In one embodiment, the powder bed system exists as a torus, where powder is deposited in a helix, while printing and pre-sintering occur simultaneously in a helical fashion within a recoating/sintering station. Because photons are not charged, a laser is used to pre-sinter the powder into a cake to avoid electrical charging issues. The printing process is continuous and never stops until the build is complete. less |
Primary:
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
Date posted: Mar 18, 2024 |
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Design Of Functional Protein Materials Based on Beta-Rippled Sheet Architectures
Jevgenij Raskatov's lab at UC Santa Cruz has determined the structures for a wide variety of … moreJevgenij Raskatov's lab at UC Santa Cruz has determined the structures for a wide variety of rippled β sheet structures. Generally these structures form fibrils of rippled antiparallel cross-β dimers. One general structure is an (L,L,L)-(FX1F)k dimerized with (D,D,D)-(FX2F)k where F is phenylalanine, X1 and X2, can be any amino acid, and k is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Examples of X1 and X2 include phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Other structures include (L,L,L,L,L,L)-(MVGGVV)k dimerized with (D,D,D,D,D,D)-(mvggvv)k; (L,L,L,L,L,L,L)-(KLVFFAE)k dimerized with (D,D,D,D,D,D,D)-(klvffae)k; and (L,L,L,L,L)-(AILSS)k dimerized with (D,D,D,D,D)-(ailss)k; where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Therapeutic compositions include a D-peptide with the sequence KLVFFAE that can bind to the Alzheimer's disease associated peptide Aβ42 that is conjugated to a deamidation agent. The deamidation agent then can act on K16, E22, or D23 of wild type Aβ42 and reduce the neurotoxicity of Aβ42. less |
Primary:
University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)
Date posted: Mar 16, 2024 |
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Non-invasive Sleep Quality Measuring Device
Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a non-invasive sleep quality measuring device that … moreResearchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a non-invasive sleep quality measuring device that includes EEG sensors to determine the EEG power density of the user for determining sleep adequacy.The researchers have found that sleep restriction on the prior night decreases waking EEG power across a wide range of frequency bands. This relation between prior sleep duration and waking EEG power suggests that this measure of waking brain activity could be an easily recorded indicator of sleep adequacy.If patients complaining of insomnia show diminished sleep adequacy by this measure, it would be a new and inexpensive diagnostic aid which could also be used to determine the effectiveness of drug and other treatments. less |
Primary:
University of California, Davis (UC Davis)
Date posted: Mar 16, 2024 |
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Dashboard That Reduces Nurse Medication Error Risk Based on Real-Time Data
OPPORTUNITY The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System … moreOPPORTUNITY The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System shocked the healthcare community when it revealed a high level of medical –and more specifically— medication errors. One of five medication administrations was identified as contributing to over 400,000 serious injuries in hospitals and 48,000-98,000 medical related deaths per year. Each error was estimated to cost the hospital an average of $32.59-$155.80 in additional care for inpatient days, medication changes, and patient monitoring making Medication Errors (MEs) both a costly problem and serious quality of care issue. The IOM called for the problem to be critically evaluated and for changes to be made at the organizational level. Hospitals began trying to create a culture of safety and promoted the reporting of errors in order to better identify problems. As healthcare shifted away from the individual, systematic factors such as the organizations’ safety climate, poor working conditions, increased workload, shifts longer than 12.5 hours, and insufficient nursing staff were all identified as contributing to the creation of an environment that increased the probability of medication errors. Other clinical factors such as the number of patients being cared for and types of medications being administered to a patient, patient acuity, and number of tasks have all been shown to impact the clinical environment and Medication Administration Error (MAE) risk, but can fluctuate throughout the day on a single unit. However, healthcare staff has been reticent to recognize, admit to, or report MAEs due to reporter burden, professional identity, information gaps, organizational factors, and fear resulting in a significant gap between actual MAEs and reported MAEs. The promotion of electronic reporting, anonymous reporting, and the removal of punitive actions have all increased the reporting frequency of errors. Despite these changes there remains a persistent issue with clinical staff not reporting errors as they occur, requiring direct observation of the clinical environment necessary to identify additional factors that may contribute to MEs. Thus, identification of environmental stressors on a medical-surgical/telemetry floor in real-time and creation of a tool that would allow the nursing staff to identify when they are at risk for medication errors and how teamwork can assist in reducing the stressors experienced is essential to improve healthcare efficiency and patient safety.
BREAKTHROUGH IN RN MEDICATION ERROR RISK AWARENESS Researchers at the University of South Alabama have created a tool that pulls real-time data from the clinical environment and hospital electronic health record, calculates the nurse’s risk based on historical threshold levels identified at the individual and unit level, and then displays the nurse’s risk for a medication error using a stoplight method. Using thresholds determined from historical data these researchers created a Nurse Risk Assessment (NRA) tool. The tool was then piloted on a Telemetry/Medical-Surgical unit for 30-days. Nurses in this study were instructed that the purpose of the tool was to make them more aware of high risk factors within their workload and to improve awareness, communication, and teamwork in reducing that risk. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Patient Safety Survey (PSS) was used to measure perceived levels of peer, managerial, and organizational support as a baseline before the tool was implemented, and again upon the completion of the 30-day implementation of the NRA tool. Baseline and outcome levels for situational awareness resulting in Near-Misses were determined using the Bar-Code Medication Administration (BCMA). At the completion of this pilot the unit experienced a 15.6% reduction in Near-Misses as determined by the BCMA. The unit also reported a 10% improvement in the area of Teamwork and a Welch test found significant increase in the mean to the question dealing with respect for team members in the PSS.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES • Uses real-time data to identify environmental stressors within a nursing environment • Notifies nursing staff when they are at risk for medication errors • Helps nursing staff identify solutions to reduce environmental stressors • Expands awareness of individual and peer workloads • Improves the perception of support given by peers and the manager • Increases healthcare efficiency while maximizing patient safety
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATUS Patented less |
Primary:
University of South Alabama
Date posted: Mar 15, 2024 |
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N-f-MLF Derivative Peptides for the Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases
Opportunity When the body’s immune system is activated, inflammation in the affected tissue can occur … moreOpportunity When the body’s immune system is activated, inflammation in the affected tissue can occur. However, in some diseases, including Hyper-IgE Syndrome or Job Syndrome, unwanted inflammatory responses occur to due to continuously activated immune responses and a decreased ability to regulate them. Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are a part of the immune system that react to harmful pathogens and guide immune cells to their location. As a results, FPRs are highly involved in inflammatory responses and are capable of producing both pro and anti-inflammatory effects. There are three known FPRs in humans, all of which recognize a wide range of targets: FPR1, FPR2, and FPR3. While activation of FPRs leads to critical responses in an active immune system, unwanted FPR-mediated inflammatory responses are the root cause of several diseases, including respiratory conditions, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune disorders. Manipulating FPRs with modified peptides may have the potential to reduce inflammatory responses and improve the function of the respiratory system; doing so could have therapeutic applications in treating several inflammatory diseases, Hyper-IgE Syndrome, as well as lung conditions such as asthma or acute lung injury. Breakthrough in Anti-Inflammatory Therapeutics Researchers at the University of South Alabama have developed a compound (termed N-f-MLF) that works to abolish hyperinflammation mediated by FPR activation. Available in pharmaceutically-relevant concentrations, this compound inhibits the activity of FPRs to reduce inflammatory responses. While this discovery has the potential to treat the rare Hyper-IgE Syndrome, a pediatric autoimmune disorder, it can also treat a broad variety of inflammatory, respiratory, and autoimmune diseases. Its applications include but are not limited to the treatment of conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eczema, acute lung injury, arthritis, psoriasis, and intestinal inflammatory diseases such as colitis. Competitive Advantages
Intellectual Property Status Patent Pending less |
Primary:
University of South Alabama
Date posted: Mar 15, 2024 |
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Computationally Constructing Peptide Sequences for Protein Signaling
Opportunity Proteins and peptides perform an array of vital functions in the human body. The … moreOpportunity Proteins and peptides perform an array of vital functions in the human body. The variety of factors that dictate the function of a protein include its amino acid sequence, with each amino acid differentiated by a unique side chain. Specific combinations of amino acids with specific side chains join together to create proteins with unique shapes, compositions, and configurations, all of which greatly influence what the protein does in the body and how efficiently the function is carried out. Of great interest in medical research is the creation of computational models to assist in sequence predictions and the creation of synthetic proteins and peptides. Signal peptides, which utilize a specific amino acid sequence to facilitate protein localization and transport, have been the subject of computational research for the last twenty years. The sheer number of possible amino acid sequences and configurations is the main challenge in generating functional signal peptide proteins. Developing a robust computational methodology for constructing novel and functional signal peptide sequences could contribute to advancements in nutritional science, cancer treatment and prevention, and pharmaceutical research.
Breakthrough in Signal Peptide Sequencing Technology Researchers at the University of South Alabama have developed a computational methodology for constructing novel signal peptide sequences from sets of known signal peptides and their amino acids. The method utilizes sets of ordered amino acid pairs to act as “building blocks” from which peptide sequences are constructed. These “building blocks” can then be layered and rearranged in a three-dimensional space. Because the number of “building blocks” can be quite large, a variety of novel signal peptide sequences can be constructed through an algorithmic procedure of combining and ordering amino acid pairs. Not only can constructed sequences be accurately identified as functional signal proteins through cutting-edge prediction platforms, but a large variety of constructions can also be identified as existing in living organisms.
Competitive Advantages
Intellectual Property Status Patent Pending less |
Primary:
University of South Alabama
Date posted: Mar 15, 2024 |
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Clinical Measurement of Circulating Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment Response
Opportunity With vague-presenting early symptoms and a 5-year survival rate of around 10% in the USA … moreOpportunity With vague-presenting early symptoms and a 5-year survival rate of around 10% in the USA, pancreatic cancer (PC) is difficult to diagnose early and has limited effective therapeutic options. However, if detected earlier, PC survival increases to 80%, suggesting that early detection is key to enhancing survival. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9, the only FDA-approved biomarker test for PC, is typically only used to monitor disease after therapy rather than provide sensitive and specific detection for PC. The quiet onset and high lethality of pancreatic cancer requires a novel, accurate, cost effective, and minimally invasive approach to early diagnosis and continued monitoring of PC.
Breakthrough in Pancreatic Cancer Detection and Monitoring Researchers at the University of South Alabama have discovered not only that the level of mitochondrial DNA in extracellular vesicles (EV) from the blood is measurably higher in pancreatic cancer patients compared to cancer-free patients, but also that multiple specific mitochondrial DNA mutations are present in pancreatic cancer patients. Found in the blood and in other bodily fluids, extracellular vesicles (EV) are particles secreted from cells and contain biomarkers including those of mitochondria in origin. Mitochondrial function is a vital element for tumor cell development, and irregular function is often observed in cancer cells due to mitochondrial DNA mutations as the cells replicate. Extracting and measuring the EV-associated biomarkers from a patient blood sample can yield a wealth of information on the amount of mitochondrial DNA, the number of mitochondrial DNA mutations, and the specific type of mutations present. These promising results present the potential for an accurate, cost-effective, clinically applicable biomarker test to both detect pancreatic cancer early and reduce mortality. The method can also be used to monitor disease development by measuring new mitochondrial DNA mutations as they appear. By identifying mitochondrial mutations common among pancreatic cancer patients at various stages, the effect of treatment and possibility of cancer recurrence may also be monitored.
Competitive Advantages
Intellectual Property Status Patent Pending less |
Primary:
University of South Alabama
Date posted: Mar 15, 2024 |
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Capless and Tailless Therapeutic Exogenous mRNA for Vaccine Development
Opportunity The approval and distribution of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to successfully control the SARS-CoV-2 … moreOpportunity The approval and distribution of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to successfully control the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2021 exposed a major market for vaccine innovation and mRNA-based therapies. The mRNA used for treatment or vaccination is produced with a protecting 5’ cap and a 3’ poly-A tail at each end of the mRNA molecule. Both components facilitate protein production and keep the mRNA stable and safe from degradation. The 5’ cap itself accounts for nearly 45% of raw material costs, and integrating both the 5’ cap and the 3’ tail around the mRNA requires additional production time. Synthesizing an mRNA vaccine that remains functional and stable without the need for a cap and a long poly(A) tail is attractive for purposes of cost reduction, production efficiency, and future therapeutic development.
Breakthrough in mRNA Vaccine Technology Researchers at the University of South Alabama have discovered an alternative strategy to the ‘cap’ and ‘tail’ method of synthetic, exogenous mRNA production. This new technology incorporates a novel RNA sequence arrangement at either the ‘cap’ or ‘tail’ ends of a target mRNA. The RNA sequence arrangement enables the mRNA to remain stable and effectively expressed in the body without the use of either the ‘cap’ or the ‘tail’. The biologically functional mRNA developed here decreases the cost and time of production for vaccines and treatments derived from therapeutic exogenous mRNA. The design also potentially reduces the additional steps required when adding the ’cap’ or ‘tail’ to the mRNA molecule, making therapeutic exogenous mRNA production more efficient.
Competitive Advantages
Intellectual Property Status Patent Pending less |
Primary:
University of South Alabama
Date posted: Mar 15, 2024 |
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Accurate Tracking and Measurement of Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer
Opportunity Mitochondria are commonly referred to as the powerhouse of the cell, and any change … moreOpportunity Mitochondria are commonly referred to as the powerhouse of the cell, and any change in mitochondrial function can drastically alter normal cell function. Diseases including neurodegeneration and cancer have been linked to changes in mitochondrial transfer between cells, which can weaken the functioning of healthy cells. Although studying this relationship is of high importance to pharmacological research, critical limitations exist in doing so. Current methods for tracking mitochondria, like the use of dyes and genetically-encoded fluorescent markers, face drawbacks such as false positives and a lack of quantifiable data during mitochondrial transfer. Unlike with nuclear DNA, methods to accurately edit mitochondrial DNA with a reporter gene, which could trace which cells receive mitochondria and how cells fare over time, are limited. Developing an accurate method to evaluate the effects of mitochondrial transfer would provide biotech companies with a valuable tool and greatly improve our understanding of how conditions like cancer develop. The development of new therapeutic approaches against mitochondrial transfer is a goal with high potential for the treatment and prevention of neurological disorders and cancer.
Breakthrough in Mitochondrial Transfer Research Researchers at the University of South Alabama have developed a technology with the potential to indefinitely identify and track cells on the receiving end of mitochondrial transfer. When mitochondrial transfer occurs, genetically-edited donor cells are modified to express a reporter protein to produce an efficient and stable fluorescent marker. This technology can permanently mark cells acquiring mitochondria by providing high signal-to noise fluorescence. Additionally, researchers have also developed a complementary approach to evaluate the rate of mitochondrial transfer in real time. This technology uses an enzymatic cascade from mitochondrial transfer to study changes in cell function in the duration of hours or days. These two techniques for quantifiable mitochondrial transfer have great potential for applications in pharmacological research, clinical testing, and the development of new therapeutic techniques.
Competitive Advantages
Intellectual Property Status Patent Pending less |
Primary:
University of South Alabama
Date posted: Mar 15, 2024 |