Saad Bhamla, Ph.D. / Gaurav Byagathvalli, Undergraduate
ePatch: A Non-viral Delivery System for Gene-based Medicines
Current delivery platforms for gene therapies and vaccines are expensive to develop; time-intensive to manufacture and scale; and pose safety concerns for some users. Our delivery platform addresses each of these concerns and significantly augments the safety and efficacy of gene-based medicines.
Lakshmi "Prasad" Dasi, Ph.D.
Polymeric Heart Valve Replacements
Current artificial transcatheter heart valve technology based on animal tissue suffers from limited durability requiring replacement within 10 years, higher rates of blood clot related complications, and high costs. Our technology based on biomolecule enhanced polymers promises durable and biocompatible artificial transcatheter heart valves that can be mass produced at a fraction of the cost.
Andrei Fedorov, Ph.D. / Mason Chilmonczyk, Ph.D.
The Dynamic Sampling Platform (DSP) for Biopharmaceutical Discovery & Biomanufacturing Process Monitoring
The Dynamic Sampling Platform (DSP) is a technology for rapid and highly sensitive biomolecule detection being developed for both discovery and quality monitoring applications in the biopharmaceutical industry. DSP samples ultra-small volumes of media, on the scale of a single cell, directly from a bioreactor to identify and detect biomarkers which are the value added product (e.g., large-molecule workflows) or indicate process trajectory (e.g., cell and gene therapy workflows).
Frank Hammond, Ph.D. and Maxwell Weinmann, M.D.
Clinical Trial: Device for Treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Mechanically ventilated ICU patients suffer from low oxygen levels for one reason. Their lungs are inflamed and can not transfer inhaled oxygen to the bloodstream. Often most, but not all of the lung is inflamed. By turning the patient over to their stomach, called Proning, blood supply will move from the back of the patient to the front and may reach healthier, uninflamed lung regions, thereby transferring oxygen to the bloodstream and raising oxygen levels. Proning requires 6 nurses and technicians 20 minutes and with large patients can be both difficult and dangerous to all involved. The VQ is a potential replacement for proning that uses pressure to move blood supply and raise oxygen levels without proning. The current clinical trial data has shown promising oxygen level increases at or above proning levels.
Omer Inan, Ph.D. / Samer Mabrouk, Ph.D.
JoinTECH: Wearable Joint Health Assessment Technologies
Our team is developing wearable systems to non-invasively track longitudinal changes in joint health during activity, including information on the swelling and tissue damage occurring during movement and over time in response to an injury. This information can potentially help reduce the chances of injury in stressed joints.
John McDonald, Ph.D. / Nick Housley, Ph.D.
Reversing Cancer Drug-Resistance
Cancer patients are frequently treated with chemotherapy. Most cancer patients benefit initially while the cancer goes into remission. Chemo-resistance causes 90% of cancer therapy failures (DOI: 10.15171/apb.2017.041). Within one year after surgery and chemo-therapy, 50%-70% of ovarian adenocarcinomas reoccur (DOI: 10.3390/ijms13089545). This technology composed of a delivery technology and a payload, delivers two types RNA, targeted to the tumors to reverse chemotherapy resistance thereby reestablishing chemo-sensitivity.
Machelle Pardue, Ph.D.
Early Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness in middle-age adults,
is currently detected using late-stage vascular defects in fundus
photographs. We are developing a non-invasive functional test to detect
early-stage neuronal changes in diabetic retinopathy which can lead to
early treatment and prevention of vision loss.
Francisco "Paco" Robles, Ph.D.
Point-of-care/at-home Hematological Analysis
Hematology analysis is an integral part of medicine and is the most commonly performed medical test, but requires complex systems, expensive chemical reagents, time consuming protocols, and highly trained personnel for operation. To overcome this challenge, we propose a label-free optical assay based on molecular imaging with deep-ultraviolet microscopy, combined with microfluid-enabled technology, to enable a compact and efficient point-of-care (potentially at home) hematological analyzer with real-time feedback, and without the need for any chemical reagents, cumbersome procedures, or experienced technicians.
Shuichi Takayama, Ph.D. / Cameron Yamanishi, Ph.D.
Addressing Cell Manufacturing Inefficiency
Through interviews with cell therapy pharmaceutical companies, we identified the lentiviral vector as a key driver of cost. Our technology co-localizes this expensive lentiviral vector with the target cells through self-driven phase separation.
Ben Wang, Ph.D. and Chelsea "Chip" White, Ph.D. / Brian Yi Liu, Ph.D. Candidate
Simulation-based Decision Support Platform for Cell Therapy Manufacturing and Distribution
This work examines how disruptions in supply chain and labor availability during the COVID-19 Pandemics affect the operation and patient benefits for cell therapy manufacturers using simulation. We also explored how different patient priority policies can mitigate the impact of disruption and increase overall patient benefits.
Woon-Hong Yeo, Ph.D.
Smart and Connected Stent with Nanomembrane Sensors for Wireless Monitoring of Hemodynamics
To enable continuous monitoring for a variety of vascular diseases, a biosensor system comprised of an inductive medical stent and soft sensors may be used. The device is achieved via an advanced inductive stent design and low-profile, flexible sensors. The stent-based system has been proven feasible in terms of manufacturing and performance, with demonstrations in mock arteries for wireless monitoring at improved distances.