The inventors at UCI have developed a method and system to make enhanced electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements in a continuously flowing train of microfluidic droplets. The technique increases the sensitivity of the electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements, lowering detection limits and increasing the frequency of continuous measurements.

Biosensors have a variety of applications from glucose monitoring to drug discovery. The ability to detect low concentration of analytes in biological samples is important for creating effective biosensors. Researchers at UCI have developed a novel lithographic method for capturing, concentrating, and identifying biological agents.

Wearable electronics are becoming a popular way of integrating personal healthcare with continuous, remote health monitoring, yet current devices are bulky and exhibit poor electronic performance. Wrinkled metal thin films can be utilized for their thin, flexible profiles, which conform well to the skin. Researchers at UCI have developed a novel method using specialized materials that results in wrinkled metal thin films that have enhanced mechanical and electrical performance.

Certain diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders, are associated with deficiencies in specific metabolites that influence protein glycosylation. This invention is a specialized method to detect levels of these metabolites, which can then be used to diagnose disorders and guide personalized treatments.

The characterization of the contractile behavior of heart cells is very important, especially as an in vitro drug-screening method. Some important behaviors of cardiomyocytes can only be measured with very expensive equipment. Researchers at UCI have developed software capable of characterizing contracting cells effectively and inexpensively.

The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and thus the development of therapies, is very challenging due to the lack of objective criteria and biomarkers. It is, however, a disease with a strong genetic component, and recent data has implicated new genes in the disease. Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a method to more reliably diagnose ASD with a laboratory test.

The detection of levels of messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecule used by DNA to convey information about protein production, is a very important method in molecular biology. Current detection strategies, such as Northern Blotting and RT-PCR, require destruction of the cell to extract such information. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a method to non-destructively assess mRNA levels in a single living cell.

This technology is a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) spatial encoding method to afford a completely silent MRI. In addition, this technology allows miniaturization and is complimentary to both high field and low field designs.

In the developing countries, typhoid fever continues to be a health challenge. Tests for typhoid fever often requires sophisticated and expensive equipment and long times for analysis. During this time, infection in the patient can spread and cause death. If the patients survives the infection, the patient would likely become asymptomatic Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) carriers who can transmit the bacteria indefinitely. Clearly, a serological assay that is simple, sensitive and rapid to detect acute typhoid infection would increase the chance of surviving the infection.

The invention is a diagnostic technology, as well as a research and development tool. It is a simple, easy to operate, and effective platform for the analysis of pharmaceuticals and biological species. Specifically, this platform generates hydroxyl radicals for oxidative footprinting – a technique commonly employed in protein mapping and analysis. The platform itself is inexpenisve to fabricate, scalable, and requires nothing more than an ordinary pipet to use. In addition, it is highly amenable to scale-up, multiplexing, and automation, and so it holds promise as a high-throughput method for mapping protein structure in support of product development, validation, and regulatory approval in the protein-based therapeutics industry.

This invention is a software for calculating the maximum force a bone can support. The offered method provides an accurate assessment of how changes in a bone due to special circumstances, such as osteoporosis or a long duration space flight, might increase patient’s risk of fracture.

The invention is a method for deriving an anatomical coordinate system for a body part (especially bone) to aid in its characterization. The method relies on 3-D digital images of an anatomical object, such as CT- or MR-scans, to objectively, precisely, and reliably identify its geometry in a computationally efficient manner. The invention is a great improvement over the current practice of subjective, user-dependent manual data entry and visualization of bones and organs. The applications for well-defined anatomical coordinate systems include robotic surgeries, models for bone density studies, and construction of statistical anatomical data sets.

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a novel immunofluorescent imaging strategy to identify cell subsets of interest, in particular cancer stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, and other primary adherent cells from tumor biopsies.

<p>Researchers have developed a novel system and method to rapidly separate particles from liquid. This technology demonstrates lab-on-a-chip potential for particle separation and/or purification. This technology is capable of processing a wide variety of molecules, ranging from cells to smaller biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acid. Applications of this technology include (but are not limited) use of it for particle separation and quantification for assays, cell preparation, and cell lysing and component separation.</p>

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a non-invasive wireless method to measure, quantify and analyze infant movement to identify preterm infants at risk for neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, or intraventricular hemorrhage.

Measurement of three-dimensional (3D) flow field inside cardiac chambers has proven to be a challenging task. Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a multi-planar velocity reconstruction approach that is able to characterize 3D incompressible flows based on the reconstruction of 2D velocity fields.

Cell identification is an important procedure for many applications. Current processing methods for single cell identification from a large heterogeneous population face drawbacks such as loss of cell morphology, removal of surface markers, damage to the membrane, and loss of cell viability.Therefore, an improved method for single cell identification that preserves cell viability and overcomes the previously mentioned limitations is desired. Researchers at UC Irvine have invented a method to identify and collect single adherent cells from a mixed population using an existing micropallet array platform. This allows users to identify and extract single cells from a mixed population for subsequent studies or processing.

The ability for on-chip particle/cell manipulation is important for microfluidic applications. Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a technology that exploits the phenomenon of acoustic microstreaming to manipulate fluid flow and suspended cells/particles in a microfluidic environment.

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a technology to detect the presence of nucleic acid amplification in a droplet. This technology yields real time detection of DNA or RNA amplication in a high throughput integrated microfluidic platform.

This invention allows for label free cell separations and cell enrichment.

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed high density, three dimensional (3D) micro-reactors for digital biology applications. The high-density imaging arrays overcome drawbacks associated with existing high density arrays fabricated on a single surface and the more recent 3D droplet emulsion arrays.

Researchers have developed compounds to bind to α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to evoke antagonistic effects both in vitro and in vivo environments.

Researchers have developed a novel system and method to rapidly separate particles from liquid. This technology demonstrates lab-on-a-chip potential for particle separation and/or purification. This technology is capable of processing a wide variety of molecules, ranging from cells to smaller biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acid. Applications of this technology include (but are not limited) use of it for particle separation and quantification for assays, cell preparation, and cell lysing and component separation.

The technology is a process for making arrays of nanostructures on polymer films.It features a two step process for creating thin polymer films with unique optical and wetting properties that can be used for coating both planar and curved surfaces.It is possible to implement this process in a mass fabrication process over large areas.

The device is an interactive neuromorphic robot, using to mimic neuro-biological architectures and learning.Properties include:a spiking neural network to control robot behavior, inexpensive parts which are easily available, and two-way learning and behavior shaping.The technology is autonomous, highly mobile, and includes on-board measurement equipment.