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
Rare-earth elements are essential for many electronic, energy and advanced defense technologies. A research collaboration between LLNL and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) has generated a portfolio of intellectual property (IP), jointly owned by both organizations, that uses bacterial proteins to pick out critical metal ions.
LLNL has licensed its interest in the joint IP to advanced biochemistry start-up Alta Resource Technologies for commercialization of the resulting technology to transform mineral separation. Similarly, Penn State is negotiating a license agreement with Alta for its interest in the joint IP.
LLNL and neurotechnology company Canaery have developed an advanced nose-computer interface (NCI) capable of enhancing the ability of scent-detection animals to simultaneously identify contraband such as explosives and narcotics, as well as other types of important scents such as biomarkers for neurological and infectious diseases.
Nanofabrication of the implantable device is led by staff research engineer Travis Massey in LLNL’s Implantable Microsystems Group, and initially began under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) through LLNL’s Innovation and Partnership’s Office (IPO). The work is now part of a strategic partnership between LLNL and Canaery.
Technology designed to aid on-the-field diagnostics for military applications is gaining a wider reach as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and BioVind, LLC achieved a milestone in their partnership: the exclusive licensing of LLNL pathogen diagnostics technology focused on oil and gas applications.
The technology, called BioID, is a rapid and portable molecular diagnostics platform that can detect up to 18 target DNA or RNA sequences from a single sample in 30 to 60 minutes. BioID uses an isothermal amplification technique to detect pathogen nucleic acid.
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 researchers have developed a high-volume, low-cost diagnostic test that is easy to use and provides results in under an hour. The testing platform will provide emergency responders and other medical professionals with the ability to screen individuals using oral and nasal samples, and obtain results in approximately 30 minutes. This point-of-care testing approach will enable rapid triage…
LLNL researchers have developed a method to quickly and accurately identify the family of a virus infecting a vertebrate via PCR. Universal primer sets consisting of short nucleic acid strands of 7 to 30 base pairs in length were created to amplify target sequences of viral DNA or RNA. These primers can amplify certain identifying sequences of all viral genomes sequenced to date as well as…
LLNL researchers have developed a portable device which analyzes one or multiple types of body fluids or gases to test for one or more medical conditions. A bodily fluid (such as blood, perspiration, saliva, breath, or urine) is put into a condenser surface and is then separated into both a primarily gas fluid component and a second one that is primarily liquid. These two samples from the same…
LLNL scientists have developed a method to ensure the accuracy of that tomographic image by applying adaptive optics (AO) to OCT in a single instrument (AO-OCT). AO stabilizes the image being captured by the OCT device by utilizing a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror, a type of mirror designed to compensate for detected waveform abnormalities (such as ones caused by a…
LLNL scientists have developed a battery-powered device which is low-cost and multi-chambered for the extraction and amplification of nucleic acids from environmental, clinical, and laboratory samples via loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). This platform identifies pathogenic bacteria and assists in determining the optimal treatment plan. A multi-chamber amplification cartridge in…
LNLL scientists have invented a method for multiplexed detection of PCR amplified products which can be completed in a single step. Highly validated species-specific primer sets are used to simultaneously amplify multiple diagnostic regions unique to each individual pathogen. Resolution of the mix of amplified products is achieved by PCR product hybridization to corresponding probe sequences,…
LLNL scientists have created a standalone pathogen identifier that can be placed in public settings, such as in stores or on street corners. Not unlike an ATM in physical size, this kiosk will accept biological samples from an individual for multiplexed analysis. The sample collection process will be sufficiently simple such that anyone could begin the diagnostic process after making the…
This LLNL-developed invention is multiplexed and utilizes the Luminex bead-based liquid array, which contains 100 different unique beads. Oligonucleotide probes with sequences complementary to the target sequences are covalently coupled to these unique beads. These capture beads are mixed with viral samples obtained from the patient via cheek swabbing or a throat wash and subjected to PCR in a…
LLNL scientists have developed a high-confidence, real-time multiplexed reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) rule-out assay for foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV). It utilizes RT-PCR to amplify both DNA and RNA viruses in a single assay to detect FMDV as well as rule out other viruses that cause symptoms in livestock indistinguishable from those caused by FMDV, such as Bovine Herpes Virus-1 (…
LLNL researchers have invented a system for identifying all known and unknown pathogenic or non-pathogenic organisms in a sample. This invention takes a complex sample and generates droplets from it. The droplets consist of sub-nanoliter volume reactors which contain the organism sized particles. A lysis device lyses the organisms and releases the nucleic acids. An amplifier then magnifies the…
Using various excitation wavelengths, a hyperspectral microscope takes advantage of autofluorescence and polarized light scattering from cellular components to obtain composite images that highlight their presence. The light collection efficiency is maximized to achieve image acquisition times and rates suitable for in vivo applications.