Brief description not available

Brief description not available

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a novel mass spectrometry database cataloging >2,000 biomarker compounds in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) for breath metabolomics research.

Professor Erica Heinrich and their team from the University of California, Riverside have developed a novel clinical tool that can be used for the continuous, objective prediction and monitoring of dyspnea in hospitalized and ICU patients. This tool works by using machine learning models to continuous monitor and predict bouts of dyspnea, even when patient monitoring is difficult due to sedation or other medical conditions. This technology has been tested in healthy individuals and is advantageous because it leverages non-invasive biomarkers and it is designed to overcome the subjectivity and low resolution of current methods.

This device offers a non-invasive solution for treating nasal airway obstructions, significantly improving recovery time and patient outcomes.

Inflatable pouches are attractive as actuators and structural links in soft robots due to their low deflated profile and high deformation ratio. Particularly compelling for minimally invasive surgery, deflated robots/actuators may be deployed in small form factors and maneuver delicately in tight spaces once inflated. However, current fabrication methods do not readily scale for production of actuators with less than 1 mm feature sizes; they often require precision handling of separator films; and/or there are limited multilayer integration capabilities. Fully miniaturized, high degree-of-freedom surgical pouch robots and actuators have not yet been realized.To overcome these challenges, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a rapid, monolithic, and scalable manufacturing method for fabricating thin-film-based pneumatic pouch soft robots. Small features (less than 0.3 mm) can be patterned at high speeds and using commercially available manufacturing tools while maintaining film planarity. Resulting robots can have complex, multilayer structures including single- and bi-directional joint actuators, structural links, integrated in-plane air channels, through-holes for interlayer connectivity, and air inlets to a supply manifold—from a single integrated processing step. Researchers have demonstrated a miniature four finger hand which can dexterously manipulate a cube (8 degrees of freedom), as well as an 10 degree-of-freedom planar arm with a gripper which can maneuver around obstacles. Entire pouch robot structures can have un-inflated thickness of less than 300 um and be inherently soft, allowing the robots to be used in tight spaces with fragile tissues for surgical applications.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;} Researchers from UC San Diego developed a patent-pending convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deformable registration algorithm to reduce computation time for analysis of medical images such as CT and MRI. These fast, fully-automated CNN-based lung deformable registration algorithms can facilitate translation of measurements into clinical practice, potentially improving the diagnosis and severity assessment of small airway diseases.

Lipoxygenases (LOX) are enzymes that catalyze the peroxidation of certain fatty acids. The cell membrane is mostly made of lipids (which include fatty acids), and peroxidation can cause damage to the cell membrane. The human genome contains six functional LOX genes that encode for six LOX enzyme variants, or isozymes. The role that each LOX isozyme plays in health and disease varies greatly, spanning issues such as asthma, diabetes, and stroke. LOX enzymes are extremely difficult to target due to high hydrophobicity. Potential leads are often ineffective because they are either not readily soluble or not selective for a particular LOX enzyme.  Studies have implicated human epithelial 15-lipoxygenase-2 (h15-LOX-2, ALOX15B) in various diseases. h15-LOX-2 is highly expressed in atherosclerotic plaques and is linked to the progression of macrophages to foam cells, which are present in atherosclerotic plaques. h15-LOX-2 mRNA levels are also highly elevated in human macrophages isolated from carotid atherosclerotic lesions in symptomatic patients. Children with cystic fibrosis had reduced levels of h15-LOX-2, which affects the lipoxin A4 to leukotriene B4 ratio. Furthermore, the interactions of h15-LOX-2 and PEBP1 changes the substrate specificity of h15-LOX-2 from free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to PUFA-phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), leading to the generation of hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HpETE) esterified into PE (HpETE-PE). Accumulation of these hydroperoxyl membrane phospholipids has been shown to cause ferroptotic cell death, which implicates h15-LOX-2 in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.  

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Existing screening tools for respiratory pathogens, including PCR-based methods and antibody-based methods, are generally time-consuming to perform and analyze, difficult to manufacture at scale, and reliant on a detailed understanding of the targeted pathogen. Additionally, these traditional methods give little insight into the extent to which an individual is capable of spreading the disease. All of these features hamstring early responses to emerging pathogens and early-stage epidemics, as can be seen from the ongoing SARS-COV-2 pandemic. To address these problems, researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a device which ionizes large biomolecules from aerosol droplets and routes them to the inlet of a mass spectrometer or ion mobility spectrometer for identification based on size and/or mass. This can serve as the basis for a screening tool which measures the concentration of pathogenic particles, including common respiratory viruses and bacteria, in the breath. Results from this test could be read out in a matter of seconds, and it does not depend on detailed knowledge of the pathogen in question. Researchers have demonstrated the efficacy of such a device in detecting both large human proteins and virus-sized styrofoam particles.

This technology introduces novel peptide modulators of human voltage-gated proton channels (hHv1) that can be exploited for fertility treatments, and inflammatory disease management..

Prof. Maurizio Pellecchia and his colleagues at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) have developed novel MMP-12 inhibitors with single-digit nanomolar activity. These agents, are highly selective for MMP-12 with appreciable inhibition of only MMP-3.  When compared to a known MMP-12 inhibitor, MMP408, the UCR MMP-12 inhibitors are 5 times more potent than MMP408.To examine their efficacy, the UCR MMP-12 inhibitors were tested in a well-established murine model of elastase-induced emphysema. After treatment, it was determined that the mice treated with the MMP-12 inhibitors exhibited significantly less lung damage than the controls.   Fig. 1 Docked geometry of one of the UCR MMP-12 inhibitors in complex with MMP-12.    Fig. 2 Effects of MMP-12 inhibition on lung tissue destruction in a murine model of elastase-induced emphysema. Mice were challenged with a single intranasal instillation of porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE), then treated daily for 7 days with vehicle control or MMP-12 inhibitors MMP408, compound 25, or compound 26. After 21 days, the mice were examined and data gathered on how they responded. Mice exposed to PPE but treated with MMP-12 inhibitors (MMP-408, compound 25, or compound 26) exhibited a significant decrease in emphysema-like pathology compared to PPE + vehicle-treated mice, with measurements for mice treated with PPE + MMP-12 inhibitors exhibiting no significant differences compared to the control, saline treated mice.

UCI researchers introduced a medical device which simultaneously detects hydrofluoroalkane (HFA), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen monoxide (NO) in exhaled breath for monitoring and improving treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This invention describes a novel therapeutic microRNA target regulating mucus production for the management of symptoms caused by a range of lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, and the common cold. Recently, a specific miRNA, along with its highly homologous family members, has been shown to be dysregulated in asthmatic subjects. To modulate the effect of these miRNAs, antagomirs (which target specific endogenous miRNAs and dampen their effect) or miRNA mimics can be administered via an inhaler, allowing for the regulation of mucus production. This invention is at the preclinical stage, and in vivo testing in a mouse model of asthma has shown that treatment with a specific miRNA antagomir results in a significant reduction of airway mucus production. While there are currently no effective therapies targeting mucus production in the airways, miRNAs are a promising new avenue for therapeutic intervention as they are fast-acting and reversible. 

Researchers at UCI have developed an imaging technique that can monitor and measure small mobile structures called cilia in our airways and in the oviduct. This invention will serve as a stepping stone for study of respiratory diseases, oviduct ciliary colonoscopy and future clinical translations.

UC researchers sought to define the host immune response, the “cytokine storm” , that has been implicated in fatal COVID-19 using an AI-based approach. Over 45,000 publicly available transcriptomic datasets of viral pandemics were analyzed to extract a 166-gene signature. The signature was surprisingly conserved in all viral pandemics, including COVID-19, inspiring the nomenclature ViP-signature. A subset of 20-genes classified disease severity in respiratory pandemics. The ViP signatures pinpointed airway epithelial and myeloid cells as the major contributors of an IL-15 cytokine storm, and epithelial and NK cell destruction as determinants of severity/fatality. They also helped formulate precise therapeutic goals to reduce disease symptoms and severity. Thus, the ViP signatures provide a quantitative and qualitative framework for titrating the immune response in viral pandemics and may serve as a powerful unbiased tool in our armamentarium to rapidly assess disease severity and vet candidate drugs. 

There is a clinical need for improved visual inspection for ENT diagnosis and surgeries. Endoscopy is required to access locations of ENT conditions. However, the assessment and identification of ENT abnormalities and pathologies remain challenging due to the difficult-to- reach ENT locations and the complex nature of the related pathologies. An imaging technique that could provide additional information, high contrast, and quantitative data about the patient condition will be useful, especially to assist ENT clinicians in diagnosis and surgeries and to avoid the need to resort to more expensive imaging techniques (e.g., CT scans, ultrasound imaging,MRI).

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus [GAS]) is a leading health and economic burden worldwide, with an estimated 700 million infections occurring annually. Among these are 18.1 million severe cases that result in over 500,000 deaths. Despite active research, a protective vaccine remains elusive, leaving antimicrobial agents as the sole pharmacological intervention against GAS. To date, penicillin remains a primary drug of choice for combating GAS infections. However, despite no apparent emergence of resistant isolates, the rate of treatment failures with penicillin has increased to nearly 40% in certain regions of the world. Due to the high prevalence of GAS infection and the decreasing efficacy of the available repertoire of countermeasures, it is critical to investigate alternative approaches against GAS infection. An emerging strategy for combating pathogenic bacteria involves targeting virulence. To avoid immune clearance, GAS expresses a wide variety of secreted and cell-associated virulence factors to facilitate survival during infection. Despite decades of inquiry into the role and regulation of GAS virulence factors, the function and potential importance of many proteins involved in pathogenicity remain unknown.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a peptide that targets fibrogenic pathways in order to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

The majority of state‐of‐the‐art lung segmentation algorithms in the literature do not simultaneously segment lungs, lung lobes, and airway in a single algorithm. Additionally, automated algorithms typically perform the segmentation task on a series of 2D slices, which can reduce segmentation accuracy of anatomical structures (i.e. lung lobes) that may require contextual information across all three spatial dimensions. Many existing algorithms also have not been validated on chest CTs across a wide variety of conditions to evaluate algorithm generalizability. Currently, quantification of respiratory measurements requires a radiologist, trained analyst, or technician to recognize, identify, and manually annotate anatomical landmarks such as the lung lobes or airway in the chest. A fully‐automated deep learning system may eliminate the need for manual analysis, thereby improving efficiency and expanding applicability to a large number of CTs.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha is a transcriptional regulator of the adaptive response to hypoxia. When activated under hypoxic conditions, it can turn on over 40 genes involved in a variety of physiological activities. The dysregulation or alteration by mutation can lead to pathophysiology in areas of energy metabolism, cancer, cell survival and tumor invasion.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed methodologies that perform dynamic PET imaging and provide opportunities for tracing blood flow and other biological systems in real-time.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a biocompatible material to mimic the glycocalyx, the natural layer of molecules that coats the outside of endothelial cells. This technology can be used to treat inflammation in diseases characterized by dysfunction in leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions.

Small molecule pendrin inhibitors for treating inflammatory lung diseases.

Chronic lung diseases, like asthma, impose critical challenges on both the patients and the physicians due to the complexity of the diseases. Not only are these diseases tough to accurately assess, many of the diseases can be impacted by other physical and sociological factors. Perhaps a greater difficulty lies in measuring the effectiveness and compliance of the medications including inhaled medications. The invention discovered at the University of California, Irvine, is an “all-in-one,” portable device that offers complete assessment of lung health. It also incorporates a novel technology for monitoring the effectiveness and compliance of a medication, thereby, providing a personalized treatment and care plan for adults and children with asthma.