Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Although there are

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Although there are over 100 compounds shown to be effective experimentally, testing in human clinical trials has produced no new treatments. Due to compounds targeting individual genes, proteins, or enzymes, TBI continues to propagate via parallel pathways. Paired with inherent limitations of animal models, clinical trial designs, and TBI heterogeneity, more comprehensive forms of treatment are required.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis has developed a novel treatment for traumatic brain injury using a systematic tumor suppressing MicroRNA. This invention uses the concept that neuronal death in neurological diseases and tumor growth in cancer share the same mechanism – aberrant cell cycle re-entry. The treatment has been successfully tested in an adult rat TBI model to significantly: reduce bleeding, inhibit multiple oncogenes, block disruption of the blood brain barrier (BBB) and prevent neuronal death after TBI. This approach has the potential to treat TBI and other acute brain injuries (such as intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and ischemic stroke) in humans. less

Reduces the Amount of Sugar That Needs to Be Added to Products

This series of

Reduces the Amount of Sugar That Needs to Be Added to Products

This series of naturally occurring compounds enhances people's perception of sweetness. These flavor volatiles augment the sensation of sweet taste produced by sugars. Products incorporating these sweetness enhancers could have reduced sugar levels while maintaining the same perceived level of sweetness and thus capture a greater portion of the reduced-calorie market. Consumers continue to demand foods and drinks with a high level of sweetness. However, the amount of sugar needed to achieve the sweetness levels preferred by consumers also promotes tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. While artificial sweeteners offer a lower-calorie alternative to refined sugars and high-fructose corn syrup, these products do not completely mimic the taste of natural sugars. Some may even cause other health problems when consumed in large quantities. Recent studies have revealed that flavor volatiles in foods and beverages affect how consumers perceive their sweetness, but available products do not capitalize on this connection between smell and flavor. Researchers at the University of Florida have identified a group of naturally occurring compounds that enhance the perception of sweetness. Products incorporating the compounds identified by UF researchers, when used along with sugar in consumer products, will enhance the perception of sweetness, allowing less sugar to be added.

Application

Naturally occurring compounds that enhance consumers' perception of sweet flavor by stimulating the olfactory system

Advantages

• Aroma volatiles can be combined with added sugar to optimize sweet taste
• Reduces the amount of sugar that needs to be added to achieve same level of perceived sweetness
• Derived from natural ingredients, making them a more attractive alternative to chemically synthesized artificial sweeteners
• Can be used to mask unpleasant flavors in sour and bitter medications, permitting a secondary application

Technology

University of Florida researchers have identified a series of naturally-occurring volatile compounds that enhance the perception of sweetness generated by tasting low concentrations of sugar. These aroma volatiles intensify sweetness in the central nervous system and thereby modify how people sense sweetness imparted by sugars in the food or drink.

This technology is a method for the 3D imaging of spaceborne objects such as near-Earth asteroids

This technology is a method for the 3D imaging of spaceborne objects such as near-Earth asteroids. The imaging is performed by a swarm of 6U CubeSats, each equipped with its own propulsion system and camera. The CubeSats utilize advanced sensing and communications systems to coordinate with one another and capture a high-resolution 3D image of a targeted object in a single high-speed flyby. By using a high-speed flyby, this approach bypasses many of the costs and challenges associated with the coordinated rendezvous required for proximity operations. This approach offers increased fuel efficiency and significantly reduces the cost and complexity of space imaging missions. 

Background: 
Spacecraft swarms are emerging as a major area of research in recent years due to their potential to achieve complex missions with reduced cost and risk. In a mission reliant on a single satellite, any damage to the satellite or technological failure can endanger the mission. However, a mission utilizing a swarm of many small satellites can often proceed even with the loss of a satellite, reducing the risk of mission failure. This technology applies this satellite swarm technology to capture detailed, close-up 3D images of spaceborne objects. By obtaining the required imagery in a single high-speed pass, this technology eliminates the need for velocity matching, vastly reducing the cost and complexity relative to previous space imaging missions.

Applications: 

• Space Exploration
• Swarm Intelligence
• Satellite Imaging
• Space Situational Awareness

Advantages: 

• Reduced cost
• Reduced complexity
• Increased fuel efficiency

PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES

• Sustainable electronics

• Various applications requiring electric power

PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

• Producing electricity

PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES

• Sustainable electronics

• Various applications requiring electric power

PRODUCT OPPORTUNITIES

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

• Producing electricity from air

• Constant availability agnostic of time and location

• Sustainability

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

This invention demonstrates thin-film devices made from electrically conductive protein nanowires (e-PNs) that can generate continuous electric power in ambient environment driven by the self-maintained moisture gradient that forms within the film when exposed to the humidity naturally present in the air. The devices can produce substantial voltages at relative humidity as low as 20%.

ABOUT THE INVENTOR

•Prof. Jun Yao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on nanoelectronic devices and sensors, bioelectronic interfaces, wearable devices, and “green” electronics made from biomaterials. 

•Prof. Derek Lovley is a Research Professor in the Department Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on the physiology and ecology of novel anaerobic microorganisms as well as microbial production of protein nanowires for applications in renewable electricity generation and biomedical sensing.

AVAILABILITY:

Available for Licensing and/or Sponsored Research

DOCKET:

UMA 19-008  

PATENT STATUS:

Patent Pending

NON-CONFIDENTIAL INVENTION DISCLOSURE

LEAD INVENTOR:

Jun Yao, Ph.D., Derek Lovley, Ph.D.

CONTACT:

  This invention demonstrates thin-film devices made from electrically conductive protein nanowires (e-PNs) that can generate continuous electric power in ambient environment driven by the self-maintained moisture gradient that forms within the film when exposed to the humidity naturally present in the air. The devices can produce substantial voltages at relative humidity as low as 20%.