LLNL researchers have discovered that some inexpensive and commercially available molecules used for other applications, could render certain lanthanide and actinide elements highly fluorescent. These molecules are not sold for applications involving the detection of REEs and actinides via fluorescence. They are instead used as additives in cosmetic products and/or in the pharmaceutical…
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High throughput discovery of linear B-cell epitopes for the development of vaccines and therapeutics
LLNL’s high throughput method involves proteome-wide screening for linear B-cell epitopes using native proteomes isolated from a pathogen of interest and convalescent sera from immunized animals. LLNL researchers have applied their newly developed generalizable screening method to the identification of pathogenic bacteria by screening linear B-cell epitopes in the proteome of Francisella…
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LLNL researchers have designed a synthetic, concatemeric bacterial expression vector that expresses a protein sequence that can be digested into a single peptide. The synthetic protein is designed to be secreted outside E. coli cells, and therefore can be purified using a His-tag from the cell supernatant (thereby reducing the need to lyse the cells for purification).
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This invention consists of a functionalized membrane (e.g. polyethylene glycol (PEG)) and osmosis or electric potential as a driving force. The PEG membrane provides high biological particles separation and prevents sample for clogging due to the strong hydration of functional polymers layer and their resistance to protein adsorption.
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This invention is an improved chromatography device that utilizes the concept of a functionally graded material (FGM) for separation of components. The technology consists of a device that contains a FGM that is patterned to have a gradient in material properties (e.g. chemical affinity, surface chemistry, chirality, pore size, etc.) normal to the direction of flow of the mobile phase. The…
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Researchers at LLNL have developed a more efficient and cost-effective method and system for synthesizing a critical D-aminoluciferin precursor and related compounds. D-aminoluciferin is as active as luciferin and provides a free -NH2 group for functionalization to attach peptide sequences corresponding to the cleavage site of a protease. This allows for the synthesis of bioluminescent probes…
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The described invention is a miniature fluidic device for separating particles suspended within a liquid sample that is introduced into the interior volume of the device. The device uses laminar flow and a combination of gravity and acoustic, electrophoretic, dielectrophoretic, and diffusion-based processes in concert to separate the different particle types and allow them to be collected…
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Researchers at LLNL have developed a nanotube sensor (single-walled or multi-walled carbon nanotubes) enclosed within a highly selective lipid bilayer that can detect variations in ion transport using signal amplification generated from the disruption of protein pores across the lipid layer. Changes in the device’s transistor current are recorded by an external circuit with high efficiency as…
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Researchers at LLNL have developed a new method to utilize highly selective molecular recognition events to attach proteins to any solid support through the C-terminus. The approach is based on the use of protein trans-splicing, which is a naturally occurring process similar to protein splicing with the difference that the intein (e.g., DnaE intein from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803) self-processing…
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LLNL has a successful history of developing instruments for detecting and characterizing airborne pathogens. Often, aerosol characterizing instruments require highly focused particle beams with little or no transmission losses. In addition, they need to interface to the sampling environment with a very high sampling rate so that more aerosol particles can be collected and sensitivity can be…
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LLNL scientists have developed a rapid parallel genetic profiling technology that can be used to detect an array of pathogens from a small, complex sample. Detectable pathogens by the LLNL technology include viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and other microbes. The device works by first splitting a given sample into millions of emulsified, encapsulated microdroplets each of which are then split…
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SENSOR ARRAY AND APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUS OBSERVATION OF TISSUE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, CONTRACTILITY, AND GROWTH (IL13165, Pending US patent application)
Cardiac toxicity is one of the major causes of drug candidate failure in clinical studies and is responsible for the failure in regulatory approval of drugs as well as the retraction of numerous drugs from the market. Critical to the…
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LLNL has developed specific technical approaches and methods to obtain proteomic information from various human tissue types (hair, skin, teeth, bone). These processes have been developed to maximize proteomic information recovery using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry methods. LLNL has also developed software tools and processes to mine genetic databases and human genetic sequence data…
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Researchers at LLNL have developed a novel method to express and purify significant quantities of AMPs. AMP is fused to the N-terminus of a self-assembling protein called encapsulin from Thermotoga maritima, which forms protein cages with 60 monomer units. N-terminal fusion of the peptide to encapsulin results in encapsulation of the peptide within the protein cage, which prevents cytotoxicity…
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LLNL’s carbon nanotube trans-membrane channels invention is a new class of nanopores that combines the best features of all three existing types of pores while substantially mitigating a number of shortcomings exhibited by each of these types of pores.
The method involves sonication of nanotube in presence of lipids, including but not limited to DOPC or DPhPC. One advantage of this…