Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) afflict nearly 25% of all women and carry a host of symptoms that can drastically reduce quality of life. Despite their prevalence, the complex and varied nature of such PFDs make them difficult to diagnose and treat. Researchers at UCI have developed an entirely integrated system that, for the first time, provides real-time monitoring of the vaginal wall tissue during diagnosis and treatment, allowing for more thorough diagnoses and more effective treatment methods.

Current diagnostic procedures for lung cancer are invasive, time-consuming, and subjective. UCI researchers have developed a quick, non-invasive lung cancer diagnostic device which uses optical coherence tomography (OCT) and can improve lung cancer diagnosis and outcomes.

Researchers at UCI have developed an inexpensive and entirely passive pump for microfluidic devices, which yields steady, controllable, and long-lived fluid flow through the device.

Inventors at UC Irvine have engineered an orthogonal DNA replication system capable of rapid, accelerated continuous evolution. This system enables the directed evolution of specific biomolecules towards user-defined functions and is applicable to problems of protein, enzyme, and metabolic pathway engineering.

A patch sensor that is able to continuously monitor breathing rate and volume to diagnose pulmonary function and possibly predict and possibly prevent fatal asthma attacks.

The invention is a platform that combines a screening system and machine learning algorithms to investigate and report the cardio-activity related information of a certain compound. Through screening cardiac tissue strips, the platform determines whether a compound is cardio-active or not, as well as the associated cardio-active mechanism based on a drug library that is automatically developed. Such information is crucial for the drug development process, especially for evidence based decisions.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) have discovered specific biomarkers that will enable innovations in diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and therapy of PWS and other related syndromes.

Separating and classifying circulating cancer cells from whole blood using a single cell trap microfluidic platform coupled with label free fluorescence life time imaging.

The invention describes an Electro-Optical instrument and a computational model for functional scanning of human body and recovering its chromophores (water, lipid, oxygenated hemoglobin, and deoxygenated hemoglobin). It is a low cost portable system that integrates frequency domain and continuous wave domain for real time spectroscopic imaging of human tissue.

The invention is a novel arrangement that provides high throughput 3D time coursing imaging solution. The setup, simply applied to the conventional inverted microscope, not only improves the imaging speed, resolution and field view, but also provides new capabilities for monitoring a much broader range of samples with various thicknesses and nature. These features combined open new frontiers for imaging applications, including tracking the development of cells in tissues, one of the ultimate goals for imaging.

A high-efficiency single-cell droplet encapsulation method to improve single cell pharmacological assay throughput.

A new approach to visualizing small and stenotic vasculature not readily visible with modern day diagnostic computed tomography angiography.

A microfluidic device that separates single cells from whole tissue in a rapid and gentle manner using hydrodynamic fluid flow. The separated single cell suspensions can then be used in tissue engineering applications, regenerative medicine and the study of cancer.

A low-cost method of manufacturing a, rough high surface area electrodes with a dissolvable polymer coating to improve surface wettability and electrochemical sensing.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. As with any cancer, early detection and treatment is critical in minimizing the severity of the tumor and risk of death. Researchers at UCI School of Medicine have developed a novel contrast-enhanced mammography technique capable of distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions in breast tissue.

Researchers at UC Irvine developed an independent non-invasive method to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy embryos.

The invention is a miniaturized device that assays the respiration of a single mitochondrion. Through a novel approach for measuring oxygen consumption rate, the device provides information on cell and tissue mitochondrial functional. This data is relevant for understanding human conditions associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer.

Researchers at UCI have developed a multi-clade HIV-1 proteomic chip that helps with diagnosis of clade specific infection of HIV-1. Proteomic chip can determine the immune status and prognosis of HIV infected individuals.

Researchers at UC Irvine have developed a cell-free (CF) protein synthesis system to solubilize and synthesize highly hydrophobic membrane proteins that would typically aggregate using current CF synthesis systems. With such high amounts of synthesized proteins, researchers intend to build protein microarrays for diagnostic purposes.

The invention consists of a multi-channel, droplet-generating microfluidic device with a strategically placed feature. The feature vibrates in order to counteract particle-trapping micro-vortices formed in the device. Counteracting these vortices allows for single particle encapsulation in the droplets formed by the device and makes this technology a good candidate for use in single cell diagnostics and drug delivery systems.

Many applications, ranging from in vivo cell culture growth to drug delivery, rely on microcapsules to encapsulate and protect cells or molecules until their desired release. These microcapsules are typically generated in immiscible fluid, which must be depleted before they can be effectively used. Researchers at UCI have recently developed a paper-based microcapsule extraction technique that is quicker, cheaper, and less damaging than conventional methods.

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.

The invention is an easy to use wristband that continuously monitor various vitals like the heart rate, temperature and blood pressure. It eliminates the need for uncomfortable and bulky cuffs that are normally used for such measurements. The wristband communicates wirelessly to the user’s or doctor’s smart phone for easy access, monitoring and care.

Researchers at UCI have developed a quick and inexpensive method for the controllable patterning of silica onto polymer films, for use in biosensing applications.

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.