Reactive oxygen species (ROS), including hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite, play dual roles as essential signaling molecules and high-stress markers of cellular damage. However, imaging these volatile species in live biological systems is often hindered by diffusion and poor signal localization. Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a "tandem" activity-based sensing and labeling strategy that overcomes these challenges. This technology utilizes selective chemical probes that, upon reacting with a specific ROS, undergo a transformation that simultaneously triggers a fluorescent signal and anchors the probe to nearby cellular proteins. By "trapping" the signal at the site of its production, this dual-action mechanism allows for high-resolution, localized imaging of oxidative stress and signaling events within complex cellular environments.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a machine learning system for accurately separating fetal signals from mixed maternal-fetal photoplethysmography signals acquired non-invasively to enable fetal physiological parameter monitoring.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method and apparatus for precise, label-free measurements of reactions at a molecular or near atomic level using an oblique-incidence optical analysis technique.

An advanced wearable bio-electronic device for non-invasive abnormality prediction, early diagnostics, and disease prevention.

A multimodal, wireless wearable device enabling continuous and detailed stress assessment and subclassification.

A breakthrough one-wire EEG cap with embedded electrode chips provides ultra-sensitive, noise-immune, wide-band brain signal acquisition. It enables non-invasive, real-time, high-resolution recording using dry electrodes, ideal for wearable and clinical neuro-technology applications.

The implementation of cost-effective and reliable energy storage solutions, such as redox flow batteries, is often hindered by the complexity and expense of accurately monitoring their state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). To address this, a novel approach using low-cost management systems and methods has been developed for electrochemical cells based on viologen, particularly pyridinium redox flow batteries. This innovation centers on pH signaling and regulation to enable real-time SOC and SOH monitoring. The viologen species' electrochemical processes naturally induce localized pH changes, and by monitoring and regulating the pH within the cell, researchers can obtain immediate, actionable data on the battery's operating condition. This pH-based system offers a simple, integrated, and economical alternative to conventional, often more complex, monitoring techniques.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that introduces an approach to creating semi-living, non-replicating cellular systems for advanced therapeutic applications.

UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel dispersion system for agricultural and environmental payloads, including seeds, soil amendments, miniature soil sensors, and so forth. Dispersive packages are biodegradable and biomimetically designed with similarities to natural seeds. Aerodynamic properties control large-area dispersions, while importantly, tunable gyroscopic properties are programmed for penetration parameters, such as depth, upon impact. Payload distribution can be fine-tuned accounting for local soil moisture and grain-size.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed tactile feedback systems that enhance spatial and sensory resolution in sensor arrays through unique signal modulation techniques.

Scaled neural sensing has been pursued for decades. Physical limitations associated with electrical (electrode-based) field recordings hinder advances in both field of view and spatial resolution. Electrochromic plasmonics (electro-plasmonics) has emerged as a rapidly advancing field combining traditional electrochromic materials with plasmonic nanostructures, including recent demonstrations of electrochromic-loaded plasmonic nanoantennas for optical voltage sensing. Existing optical electrophysiology techniques face critical limitations including poor signal-to-noise ratios due to low photon counts from genetically encoded voltage indicators, which have small cross-sections and low quantum yields. Fluorescent voltage indicators suffer from photobleaching, phototoxicity, and require genetic modifications that limit their clinical applicability. Current electrochromic devices also struggle with limited cycling stability, slow switching times, and restricted color options, and conventional plasmonic sensors exhibit inherently low electric field sensitivity due to high electron densities of metals like gold and silver. Current approaches to electro-plasmonics lack stable, high-contrast optical modulators that can operate at sub-millisecond speeds while maintaining human biocompatibility.

This technology introduces a novel approach for bridging force sensing with wireless communication through direct analog force-to-RF conversion provides lower power consumption and lower costs.

A novel device leveraging centrifugal microfluidics to accelerate bacterial growth and rapidly determine antibiotic susceptibility.

This technology enhances the sensitivity of sensors through exceptional points of degeneracy in various circuit configurations.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a biosensor technology for rapid, sensitive detection, purification, and identification of nucleic acids in complex biological fluids.

A novel circuit design promoting enhanced sensitivity for electromagnetic sensing through exceptional points of degeneracy.

An innovative technique for creating high-sensitivity Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) sensors through advanced microbubble resonator fabrication.

An innovative system for biometric identification that utilizes intra-body communication for secure authentication.

A revolutionary approach to wearable sensors that significantly extends read-out distances and improves reliability without the need for microelectronics.

This invention developed by UC Berkeley researchers provides a novel FRET-Cal Screening Platform to identify positive and negative modulators of membrane signaling proteins. The platform addresses the need for efficient and reliable methods to screen for compounds that can control the activity of these receptors. The technology utilizes a receptor protein with a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) pair, composed of a donor and acceptor fluorophore, to screen for candidate compounds. The FRET pair allows for the direct measurement of changes in protein conformation upon binding, providing a highly sensitive and specific method for identifying potential modulators. This platform offers a significant advantage over traditional screening methods by providing a high-throughput, real-time assay for drug discovery and therapeutic development.

Current α-linolenic acid (ALA)-based medical adhesives are limited by ALA's poor water solubility and poly(ALA)'s hydrophobicity, often requiring elevated temperatures, organic solvents, or complex preparations for delivery to biological tissue. This innovation reports on ALA-based powder and low-viscosity liquid superglues that polymerize and bond rapidly upon contact with wet tissue. Developed by UC Berkeley researchers, the versatile adhesives use a monomeric mixture of ALA, sodium lipoate, and an activated ester of lipoic acid, which grants them high flexibility as confirmed by stress-strain measurements on wet adhesives. The adhesive is cell and tissue-compatible, biodegradable, and can sustain drug delivery as a small molecule regenerative drug was successfully incorporated and released without altering its physical or adhesive properties. Furthermore, the inherent ionic nature of the adhesive gives it high electric conductivity and sensitivity to deformation, enabling its use as a tissue-adherent strain sensor.

This technology introduces a flexible, secure, and scalable approach to creating body area networks (BANs) using textile-integrated metamaterials for advanced healthcare monitoring.

Sensors are used in a multitude of applications from molecular biology, chemicals detection to wireless communications. Researchers at the University of California Irvine have invented a new type of electronic circuit that utilizes exceptional points of degeneracy to improve the sensitivity of signal detection.

A revolutionary device for the diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks with rapid, accurate, and low-volume sampling at the point of care.

Over the past decade, single-cell sequencing has become widely used in biology and medicine. To analyze many cells at once, each cell must be labeled with a unique DNA barcode so its molecules can be identified after sequencing. This is usually done by capturing cells on barcode beads, where each bead carries a different DNA sequence. However, because these barcodes are randomly generated and randomly paired with cells, researchers cannot know which barcode belongs to which cell before sequencing, making it difficult to link sequencing data with other measurements from the same cell. This creates a clear gap in the market for barcoding approaches that provide predefined, traceable cell identities prior to sequencing. This invention, Optically Recognizable Barcoded Beads (ORBBs), comprises a method in which each barcode bead is optically unique such that the DNA sequence for a given bead can be determined by imaging the bead with a fluorescent microscope. The key idea behind ORBBs is that each bead has geometrically distinct regions that can be fluorescently labeled within a single bead. This drastically increases the number of unique fluorescent barcodes that can be produced by these beads. ORBBs are able to be barcoded through the same standard split pool process that other commercially available barcoded beads use with one key modification - each well the barcode beads pass through has a unique combination of oligo conjugated fluorophores, creating a unique barcode on each bead.