Bio-Medical

A process for making monodisperse liposomes having lipid bilayer membranes involves fewer, simpler process steps than do related prior methods. First, a microfluidic, cross-junction droplet generator is used to produce vesicles comprising aqueous-solution droplets contained in single-layer lipid membranes. The vesicles are collected in a lipid-solvent mix that is at ...
Read More >>

Adjustments enable optimization of support for different body sizes and shapes.

Problems associated with, and new strategies for, inactivating resistant organisms like Bacillus canaveralius (found at Kennedy Space Center during a survey of three NASA cleanrooms) have been defined. Identifying the particular component of the spore that allows its heightened resistance can guide the development of sterilization procedures that are targeted ...
Read More >>

Terahertz modulation of permittivity of water would enable solvation of molecules of interest.

This system eliminates the need for CT or x-ray imaging.

This technique enables detection, sensing, navigation, and actuation in a single nanosystem.

“Laboratory-on-a-chip” devices that enable the simultaneous culturing and interrogation of many individual living cells have been invented. Each such device includes a silicon nitride-coated silicon chip containing an array of micromachined wells sized so that each well can contain one cell in contact or proximity with a patch clamp or ...
Read More >>

A highly efficient means of microfluidic mixing has been created for use with the rHEALTH sensor — an elliptical mixer and passive curvilinear mixing patterns. The rHEALTH sensor provides rapid, handheld, complete blood count, cell differential counts, electrolyte measurements, and other lab tests based on a reusable, flow-based microfluidic platform.
Read More >>

An open-access magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is being developed for use in research on orientational/ gravitational effects on lung physiology and function. The open-access geometry enables study of human subjects in diverse orientations. This system operates at a magnetic flux density, considerably smaller than the flux densities of typical ...
Read More >>

Improved polymer hydrophilicity is beneficial for cell culturing and implant growth.

The chemically assisted photocatalytic oxidation system (CAPOS) has been proposed for destroying micro-organisms and organic chemicals that may be suspended in the air or present on surfaces of an air-handling system that ventilates an indoor environment. The CAPOS would comprise an upstream and a downstream stage that would implement a ...
Read More >>

Scale-up toward clinically significant dimensions has been partially completed.

Identifying mechanisms of micro-organisms can prevent forward contamination in space missions and can help in developing new antibiotics and amino acids.

Healthcare providers can view, update, and share patient information from a handheld device.

This technique can help to monitor the quality of water by testing for contamination at restaurants, water treatment plants, and food processing plants.

A process for isolating tissue-specific progenitor cells exploits solid fat tissue obtained as waste from such elective surgical procedures as abdominoplasties (“tummy tucks”) and breast reductions. Until now, a painful and risky process of aspiration of bone marrow has been used to obtain a limited number of tissue-specific progenitor cells.
Read More >>

Advantages over prior OCT systems include less bulk and greater speed.

A compact, ambulatory biometric data acquisition system has been developed for space and commercial terrestrial use. BioWATCH (Bio medical Wireless and Ambulatory Telemetry for Crew Health) acquires signals from bio-medical sensors using acquisition modules attached to a common data and power bus. Several slots allow the user to configure the ...
Read More >>