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Cherenkov-Based Radiation Beam Monitor

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an innovative Cherenkov-based system for calibrating radiotherapy beams, enabling precise, real-time calibration of radiation dose delivery, including for high-intensity FLASH radiotherapy, improving treatment accuracy and reliability.

Vaccines Using Macrophage Suppression

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that introduces vaccines that express macrophage-suppressing molecules to significantly enhance inflammatory T-cell functions for improved immune responses.

A Two-step Drug Delivery System Based on Click Chemistry

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that introduces a TCTS (Two-component Two-step) drug delivery system designed to enhance cancer treatment efficacy while minimizing toxicity.

Macrophage Targeting Peptides - Peptide Sequences that are Specific to M1 And M2 Macrophages for Application in Molecular Imaging and Therapy

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed isolated peptides that selectively bind M1 and M2 macrophages to enable precise diagnosis and targeted treatment of macrophage-associated diseases, including cancer.

Cationic Silyl-Lipids for Enhanced Delivery of Anti-viral Therapeutics

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an advancement in the field of healthcare technology, specifically in the development and application of silyl lipids for RNA vaccines.

Nanoplatform for Cancer Therapy

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a nanoparticle system combining photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for enhanced cancer treatment.

Intranasal Delivery of Allopregnanolone

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed non-invasive methods for intranasally delivering the drug allopregnanolone.

Hydrogelated Cells for Regenerative Medicine Applications

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.

Site-specific Chemical Ligation of Native Human Serum Albumin as a Carrier for Drugs

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a method to prepare chemically well-defined HSA-drug conjugates, such that ligation can occur in vitro or in vivo under physiological condition.

Intelligent Wound Healing Diagnostics and Treatments

Chronic wounds affect over 6.5 million people in the United States costing more than $25B annually. 23% of military blast and burn wounds do not close, affecting a military patient's bone, skin, nerves. Moreover, 64% of military trauma have abnormal bone growth into soft tissue. Slow healing of recalcitrant wounds is a known and persistent problem, with incomplete healing, scarring, and abnormal tissue regeneration. Precise control of wound healing depends on physician's evaluation, experience. Physicians generally provide conditions and time for body to either heal itself, or to accept and heal around direct transplantations, and their practice relies a lot on passive recovery. And while newer static approaches have demonstrated enhanced growth of non-regenerative tissue, they do not adapt to the changing state of wound, thus resulting in limited efficacy.

Cephalopod-Inspired Bioelectronic Platform For Engineering Intercellular Communication

This technology represents a groundbreaking approach to generating and using biomolecule-loaded extracellular vesicles (EVs) for targeted cellular reprogramming.

Lipid Nanoparticles Mediated Delivery Of RNA Therapeutics to Trabecular Meshwork

This technology represents a groundbreaking approach to treating Primary Open Angle Glaucoma by directly targeting the trabecular meshwork pathology with lipid nanoparticle-mediated delivery of gene editing tools or anti-sense oligos.

Nanostructures For Gene Delivery

Nucleic acid therapies hold vast therapeutic potential. FDA approved therapies include mRNA vaccines against SARS-COV2 and CRISPR/CAS9 treatment to treat sickle cell.  Both therapies use non-viral methods to deliver designer nucleic acid therapies to cells. However, a limitation of these approaches is the lack of organ and cell-specific delivery. Controlling gene delivery and expression in various cell subsets is challenging. UC Berkeley researchers have shown that the nanoscale topology of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) motifs can be used to stimulate various immune cell subsets and alter gene expression from exogenously delivered mRNA in distinct immune cell subsets. CpG-ODNs of different classes are known to induce different inflammatory profiles in immune cells based on the structure and nanoscale topology of the short DNA strand. The researchers have found novel nanostructures which can be used to present or deliver CpGs to various cell subsets and regulate gene expression in these subsets.

Selective Manipulation of Magnetically Barcoded Materials

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

Depletion and Replacement of Brain Border Myeloid Cells

A novel method for selectively targeting and modulating brain border-associated myeloid cells for the treatment of neurological disorders.

Medicinal Adhesive Compositions

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.

Nanoparticle Therapeutic Vaccines for Cancer Treatment

A cutting-edge vaccine delivery platform that enhances tumor treatment by co-delivering MHC class I and II restricted antigens.

Polyphenol Infusions to Improve Gastro-Intestinal Stability of Probiotics

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method for improving probiotic resistance to conditions in the gastrointestinal tract by simultaneously delivering probiotics and extracts of fruit and vegetables rich in polyphenols which fight inflammation and improves health in the GI tract.

Polymeric Vectors For mRNA Delivery

A novel dendronized polypeptide architecture for efficient and safe mRNA delivery, suitable for anti-tumor immunotherapy.

Compositions and Methods for Identifying Functional Nucleic Acid Delivery Vehicles

Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) are a leading platform for nucleic acid delivery, widely used in therapeutics and vaccine development. However, the process of optimizing new LNP formulations has been significantly hindered by labor-intensive and costly screening methods, which require individual injections into animal models. Given the vast array of potential lipid compositions and formulation variables, these constraints severely impede the efficiency of research and development.To overcome these challenges, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel approach for identifying and characterizing functional nucleic acid delivery vehicles. This innovative method leverages circular RNA barcoding technology, enabling a more efficient screening process. Instead of relying on conventional cell sorting techniques, which restrict screening to specific organs and host species, this breakthrough allows direct detection of barcoded nucleic acids within circular RNAs in treated cells. By analyzing the barcodes detected, researchers can accurately determine which lipid compositions and formulations successfully delivered RNA molecules.  This technology represents a significant advancement in LNP research, offering a scalable, cost-effective solution that enhances the precision and scope of nucleic acid delivery screening.

Wearable Bioelectronics for Programmable Delivery of Therapy

Precise control of wound healing depends on physician’s evaluation, experience. Physicians provide conditions and time for body to either heal itself, or to accept and heal around direct transplantations, and their practice relies a lot on passive recovery. Slow healing of recalcitrant wounds is a known persistent problem, with incomplete healing, scarring, and abnormal tissue regeneration. 23% of military blast and burn wounds do not close, affecting a patient’s bone, skin, nerves. 64% of military trauma have abnormal bone growth into soft tissue. While newer static approaches have demonstrated enhanced growth of non-regenerative tissue, they do not adapt to the changing state of wound, thus resulting in limited efficacy.

Bioelectronic Smart Bandage For Controlling Wound pH through Proton Delivery

Precise control of wound healing depends on physician’s evaluation, experience. Physicians provide conditions and time for body to either heal itself, or to accept and heal around direct transplantations, and their practice relies a lot on passive recovery. Slow healing of recalcitrant wounds is a known persistent problem, with incomplete healing, scarring, and abnormal tissue regeneration. 23% of military blast and burn wounds do not close, affecting a patient’s bone, skin, nerves. 64% of military trauma have abnormal bone growth into soft tissue. While newer static approaches have demonstrated enhanced growth of non-regenerative tissue, they do not adapt to the changing state of wound, thus resulting in limited efficacy.

Inverse Design and Fabrication of Controlled Release Structures

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an algorithm for designing and identifying complex structures having custom release profiles for controlled drug delivery.

Site Directed DNA Editing with Adenosine Deaminases that Act on RNA (ADAR) Enzymes

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a method and composition for modifying genetic sequences using Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs).

Real-Time Antibody Therapeutics Monitoring On An Implantable Living Pharmacy

      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.

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