This is a broad portfolio that includes all aspects of life sciences. Some of the representative areas are bioengineering (brain computer interface, chips to grow and monitor cellular activities, and bioprinting), vaccines and therapeutics (nanolipoprotein particles for the delivery of vaccines and drugs, carbon nanotubes for drug delivery, KRAS inhibitors, and anti-bacterial minerals), medical diagnostics (molecular diagnostics, point-of-care testing, imaging, and forensic), life science instrumentation (PCR instruments, rapid PCR, fluid partitioning, microfluidics, and biosensors), and methods for the extraction and purification of rare earth elements using lanmodulin and other natural/synthetic bacterial proteins.
Portfolio News and Multimedia
A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researcher and a colleague who helped him and his team commercialize their biomedical technology have garnered a national technology transfer award.
The award, from the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC), represents the 42nd technology transfer award that LLNL has won from the FLC since 1985.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has joined forces with Precision Neuroscience Corporation (Precision) to advance the technology of neural implants for patients suffering from a variety of neurological disorders, including stroke, spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Under the three-year collaboration, outlined in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), LLNL scientists and engineers will work with Precision to develop future versions of the company’s neural implant – a thin-film microelectrode array called the Layer 7 Cortical Interface – with enhanced longevity.
The development of new antibiotics has stalled — new strategies are needed as the world enters the age of antibiotic resistance. To combat this challenge, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have found that synthetic antibacterial minerals exhibit potent antibacterial activity against topical MRSA infections and increase the rate of wound closure.
A patent has been filed on this technology and Morrison’s research team is looking for industry partners to help commercialize this novel antimicrobial approach; click here for more information regarding partnership and licensing opportunities.
To address shortcomings of current liposome drug delivery systems, the patented innovation uses drug-loaded liposomes containing carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) inserted into the liposomal membranes for the delivery of the encapsulated drugs. Short CNTPs (10 nm in length) with narrow diameter (0.8 nm) has been demonstrated to facilitate efficient fusion of lipid bilayers resulting in the…
A new approach of developing synthetic antibacterial mineral assemblages can be used as an alternative treatment when traditional antibiotics fail in clinical and agricultural settings. Mineral mixtures can be synthesized with tunable metal release and reactive oxygen species generation that are capable of killing human pathogens and promoting wound healing. One of the key components in the…
The method described in a pending patent application uses a novel thiacrown (dibenzohexathia-18-crown-6) for efficient extraction of 197m,gHg and 197gHg from irradiated Pt target foils. The separation of 197m,gHg and 197gHg from Pt foils using this novel thiacrown was found to be highly specific. No detectable amount of the Pt foil was seen in the…
Combining the principles of nanotechnology, cell-free protein synthesis and microfluidics, LLNL researchers have developed a reusable, portable programmable system that can create purified, concentrated protein product in vitro in a microfluidic device containing nucleic acids.
Many of the disadvantages of current interface devices can be overcome with LLNL’s novel interface design, which relies on area array distribution where independent interface connector subassemblies are positioned in a planar grid. Not only is the interface device expandable area-wise (without increasing contact force), but it could also be expanded height-wise, with multiple layers of these…
Commercial fiber optic cables are the current standard for carrying optical signals in industries like communications or medical devices. However, the fibers are made of glass, which do not have favorable characteristics for applications that require flexibility and re-routing, e.g. typically brittle, limited selection of materials, dimension constraints.
LLNL scientists developed novel hydrogels, which are biodegradable soft materials synthesized by a water-soluble polymer. Incorporating silver imparts antimicrobial activity to the material at low concentration compared to currently used silver nanoparticles. Our hydrogels are composed of silver ions instead of silver nanoparticles, which eliminates the toxicity concerns of modern silver…
LLNL has developed a brain-on-a-chip system with a removable cell-seeding funnel to simultaneously localize neurons from various brain regions in an anatomically relevant manner and over specific electrode regions of a MEA. LLNL’s novel, removable cell seeding funnel uses a combination of 3D printing and microfabrication that allows neurons from select brain regions to easily be seeded into…