This technology enables precise, selective manipulation of magnetically barcoded materials, distinguishing them from background magnetic materials

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of organ development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cerebral cortex organoids (hereafter "organoid") have become particularly instrumental in providing valuable insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Despite their potential, organoid experiments present several challenges. Organoids require a rigorous, months-long developmental process, demanding substantial resources and meticulous care to yield valuable data on aspects of biology such as neural unit electrophysiology, cytoarchitecture, and transcriptional regulation. Traditionally the data has been difficult to collect on a more frequent and consistent basis, which limits the breadth and depth of modern organoid biology. Generating and measuring organoids depend on media manipulations, imaging, and electrophysiological measurements. Historically are labor- and skill-intensive processes which can increase risks associated with experimental validity, reliability, efficiency, and scalability.

An engineered polymerase enabling the synthesis of threose nucleic acid (TNA) for advanced therapeutic applications.

A novel diagnostic technology offering rapid, accurate, and inexpensive detection, genotyping, and quantification of viral RNA in patient-derived samples, enhancing public health capabilities.

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of brain development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cortical organoids, comprising in part of neurons, have been instrumental in providing early insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Functional characteristics of cortical organoids, such as cellular morphology and electrophysiology, provide physiological insight into cellular states and are crucial for understanding the roles of cell types within their specific niches. And while progress has been made studying engineered neuronal systems, decoding the functional properties of neuronal networks and their role in producing behaviors depends in part on recognizing neuronal cell types, their general locations within the brain, and how they connect.

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of organ development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cerebral cortex organoids (hereafter "organoid") have become particularly instrumental in providing valuable insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Modern methods of interfacing with organoids involve any combination of encoding information, decoding information, or perturbing the underlying dynamics through various timescales of plasticity. Our knowledge of biological learning rules has not yet translated to reliable methods for consistently training neural tissue in goal-directed ways. In vivo training methods commonly exploit principles of reinforcement learning and Hebbian learning to modify biological networks. However, in vitro training has not seen comparable success, and often cannot utilize the underlying, multi-regional circuits enabling dopaminergic learning. Successfully harnessing in vitro learning methods and systems could uniquely reveal fundamental mesoscale processing and learning principles. This may have profound implications, from developing targeted stimulation protocols for therapeutic interventions to creating energy-efficient bio-electronic systems.

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of organ development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cerebral cortex organoids (hereafter “organoid”) have become particularly instrumental in providing valuable insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Despite their potential, organoid experiments present several challenges. Organoids require a rigorous, months-long developmental process, demanding substantial resources and meticulous care to yield valuable data on aspects of biology such as neural unit electrophysiology, cytoarchitecture, and transcriptional regulation. Traditionally the data has been difficult to collect on a more frequent and consistent basis, which limits the breadth and depth of modern organoid biology. Generating and measuring organoids depend on media manipulations, imaging, and electrophysiological measurements. Historically these are labor- and skill-intensive processes which can increase risks associated with known human error and contamination.

In PET imaging, patient motion, such as respiratory and cardiac motion, are a major source of blurring and motion artifacts. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology designed to enhance PET imaging resolution without the need for external devices by effectively mitigating these artifacts

An AI-powered platform for the generation of automated electronic patient anatomy education models, providing surgeons with clinically relevant patient anatomy data.

An innovative technology that uses dual energy CT to measure blood flow in organs, offering a non-invasive, accurate assessment of diseases like INOCA.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a novel cell segmentation technology for accurate analysis of non-spherical cells and that offers a comprehensive, high-throughput approach for analyzing the transcriptomic and metabolomic data to study complex biological processes at the single-cell level.

      Biologics are antibodies produced by genetically engineered cells and are widely used in therapeutic applications. Examples include pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq), both employed in cancer immunotherapy as checkpoint inhibitors to restore T- cell immune responses against tumor cells. These biologics are produced by engineered cells in bioreactors in a process that is highly sensitive to the bioreactor environment, making it essential to integrate process analytical technologies (PAT) for closed-loop, real-time adjustments. Recent trends have focused on leveraging integrated circuit (IC) solutions for system miniaturization and enhanced functionality, for example enabling a single IC that monitors O2, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), temperature, and glucose levels. However, no current technology can directly and continuously quantify the concentration and quality of the produced biologics in real-time within the bioreactor. Such critical measurements still rely on off-line methods such as immunoassays and mass spectrometry, which are time-consuming and not suitable for real- time process control.       UC Berkeley researchers have developed a microsystem for real-time, in-vivo monitoring of antibody therapeutics using structure-switching aptamers by employing an integrator-based readout front-end. This approach effectively addresses the challenge of a 100× reduction in signal levels compared to the measurement of small-molecule drugs in prior works. The microsystem is also uniquely suited to the emerging paradigm of “living pharmacies.” In living pharmacies, drug-producing cells will be hosted on implantable devices, and real-time monitoring of drug production/diffusion rates based on an individual’s pharmokinetics will be crucial.

      Current clinical practice for detecting low-concentration molecular biomarkers requires sending samples to centralized labs, leading to high costs and delays. Successful point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technology exist, such as the paper-based lateral-flow assay (LFA) used for pregnancy tests and SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests, or miniaturized instruments such as the Abbot i-Stat Alinity. However, the former provides binary results or limited quantitative accuracy, and the latter is too expensive for in-home deployment. A promising approach for POC diagnostics, offering tailored circuit optimization, multiplexed detection, and significant cost and size reductions, is millimeter-sized CMOS integrated circuits coupled with microfluidics. Recent demonstrations include protein, DNA/RNA, and cell detection. The current complexity of system packaging (e.g., wire/flip-chip bonding) makes integrating microfluidics with more sophisticated functions challenging, and often-required syringe pumps and tubing are operationally unfriendly, limiting current approaches.       UC Berkeley researchers have developed a fully integrated, multi-mode POC device that requires single-step assembly and operates autonomously. Drawing inspiration from RFID technology and implantables, they have introduced inductively-coupled wireless powering and communication functionality into a CMOS bio-analyzer. With the chip being fully wireless, the die can be easily integrated into a substrate carrier, achieving a completely flat surface that allows for seamless bonding with the microfluidic module. In the final product, the device will be sealed in a pouch inside a vacuum desiccator. The user tears the pouch, adds a drop of sample, and the system automatically begins operation. The operation window can last up to 40 minutes, making the process insensitive to time delays. The present CMOS bio-analyzer integrates pH-sensing and amperometric readout circuits for both proton-based and redox-based immunoassays.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that offers a sophisticated solution for collecting and measuring gas emissions from surfaces, particularly skin, with high sensitivity and specificity.

This technology represents a breakthrough in non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring by utilizing coherent light to assess physiological parameters with high accuracy

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a device to monitor the heart using radiofrequency signals to improve the detection and diagnosis of various cardiovascular conditions. The device can integrate with existing mobile products, which is particularly helpful for older adults and those with limited access to adequate medical facilities.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a semiautomated solution for identifying differences in tissue architectures or cell types as well as visualizing and analyzing cell densities and cell-cell associations in a tissue sample.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) has traditionally been used for monitoring mental activity by measuring skin conductance (SkinG) at locations with high sweat gland density. However, EDA has not been considered useful for physical activity due to baseline shifts caused by sweat accumulation at the skin/electrode interface.

         While nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the most universal synthetic chemistry tools for its ability to measure highly specific kinetic and structural information nondestructively/noninvasively, it is costly and low-throughput primarily due to the small sample-size volumes and expensive equipment needed for stringent magnetic field homogeneity. Conversely, zero-to-ultralow field (ZULF) NMR is an emerging alternative offering similar chemical information but relaxing field homogeneity requirements during detection. ZULF NMR has been further propelled by recent advancements in key componentry, optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs), but suffers in scope due to its low sensitivity and its susceptibility to noise. It has not been possible to detect most organic molecules without resorting to hyperpolarization or 13C enrichment using ZULF NMR.         To overcome these challenges, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a multi-channel ZULF spectrometer that greatly improves on both the sensitivity and throughput abilities of state-of-the art ZULF NMR devices. The novel spectrometer was used in the first reported detection of organic molecules in natural isotopic abundance by ZULF NMR, with sensitivity comparable to current commercial benchtop NMR spectrometers. A proof-of-concept multichannel version of the ZULF spectrometer was capable of measuring three distinct chemical samples simultaneously. The combined sensitivity and throughput distinguish the present ZULF NMR spectrometer as a novel chemical analysis tool at unprecedented scales, potentially enabling emerging fields such as robotic chemistry, as well as meeting the demands of existing fields such as chemical manufacturing, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries.

         Recent advancements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have underscored the need for novel instrumentation, but current commercial instrumentation performs well primarily for pre-existing, mainstream applications. Modalities involving, in particular, integrated electron-nuclear spin control, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), and non-traditional NMR pulse sequences would benefit greatly from more flexible and capable hardware and software. Advances in these areas would allow many innovative NMR methodologies to reach the market in the coming years.          To address this opportunity, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel high-speed, high-memory NMR spectrometer and hyperpolarizer. The device is compact, rack-mountable and cost-effective compared to existing spectrometers. Furthermore, the spectrometer features robust, high-speed NMR transmit and receive functions, synthesizing and receiving signals at the Larmor frequency and up to 2.7GHz. The spectrometer features on-board, phase-sensitive detection and windowed acquisition that can be carried out over extended periods and across millions of pulses. These and additional features are tailored for integrated electron-nuclear spin control and DNP. The invented spectrometer/hyperpolarizer opens up new avenues for NMR pulse control and DNP, including closed-loop feedback control, electron decoupling, 3D spin tracking, and potential applications in quantum sensing.

Rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is a method for quickly determining the most effective antibiotic therapy for patients with bacterial infections. These techniques enable the detection and quantification of antibiotic-resistant and susceptible bacteria metabolites at concentrations near or below ng/mL in complex media. Employing bacterial metabolites as a sensing platform, the system integrates machine learning data analysis processes to differentiate between antibiotic susceptibility and resistance in clinical infections within an hour. With the results, a clinician can prescribe appropriate medicine for the patient's bacterial infection.

This technology revolves around Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a noninvasive imaging method that provides detailed cross-sectional images of tissue microstructure and blood flow. OCT utilizes either time domain (TDOCT) or Fourier domain (FDOCT) approaches, with FDOCT offering superior sensitivity and speed. Doppler OCT combines Doppler principles with OCT to visualize tissue structure and blood flow concurrently. Additionally, polarization-sensitive OCT detects tissue birefringence. Advanced methods aim to enhance the speed and sensitivity of Doppler OCT, crucial for various clinical applications such as ocular diseases and cancer diagnosis. Swept source FDOCT systems further improve imaging capabilities by increasing range and sensitivity. Overall, this technology represents significant advancements in biomedical imaging, offering insights into both structural and functional aspects of tissue physiology.

The invention presents a microfluidic platform equipped with specialized trapping arrays and droplet generation capabilities, enabling precise control over the formation of microvortices within cell-laden droplets. This novel system facilitates the study of cell-cell interactions at a single-cell level, offering configurable microenvironments for analyzing cell dynamics and pair relationships.

An innovative mass spectrometry platform that utilizes sulfoxide-containing MS-cleavable heterobifunctional photoactivated cross-linkers to enhance protein structural elucidation.

This patent application describes methods for non-invasive, label-free imaging of the cellular immune response in human skin using a nonlinear optical imaging system.