Diagnostic Technologies Overview

Diagnostic tests are an essential component of the health care system, providing vital information that impacts provider
decisions regarding the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of a disease. With advances in technology
over the last several decades, diagnostics have become even more integral to the practice of medicine today, enabling,
for example, more personalized and more productive treatments. While testing capabilities continue to evolve rapidly
through the development of new technologies, there are certain concepts of measurement used to evaluate their effectiveness
that are fundamental and unchanging.

source: AdvaMed DX

A New Paper-Based Platform Technology for Point-of-Care Diagnostics

INVENTORS • Hong Chen, Mohammad Faghri, Constantine Anagnostopoulos, Jeremy Cogswell

ABSTRACT

The recently invented Paper Based Microfluidic Valve (PBMV) technology constitutes a platform technology that allows for sequential manipulation of fluids on paper without operator intervention. Complex multi-reagent quantitative assays not possible with conventional strip tests can now be performed.

APPLICATION

Lab-on-Paper devices incorporating the University of Rhode Island’s proprietary PBMV technology can be used in point of care diagnostics and urgent care, in animal health, identification of environmental contaminants, in biological and chemical threat assessment and other applications. It is a low-cost, rapid, quantitative and autonomous device, requiring no operator intervention.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

The PBMV platform technology has been successfully used to autonomously conduct ELISA on a paper based device. The technology is additionally being applied to quantitative assays for determining the activity of enzymes and inhibitors. Such assays are simply not possible in conventional strip tests without operator intervention.
The capability of the Lab-on-Paper devices to conduct complex assays relies on the presence of fluid actuated unidirectional valves constructed within the paper layers. There are no mechanical components that require actuation by an operator.
Flowing fluids activate the valves in a certain sequence and time delay determined by the design and construction of the particular Lab-on-Paper device. All reagents for a given assay can be
preloaded onto the device. Their timed and sequential flow begins when the sample fluid is loaded onto the sample pad.
Lab-on-Paper devices can be made to measure the concentration or biological activity of a wide variety of targets that are represented by the entire or partial molecule. This includes antibodies or antigens, metabolites, peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid or other detector molecules that can be selectively bound or interact with companion detector molecules.
PATENT
STATUS
US #8,945,485
AVAILABILITY
Technology is available for licensing.

INVENTORS • Jeremy Cogswell, Mohammad Faghri

APPLICATION

A microfluidic valve system is disclosed that includes a matrix, a hydrophilic acceptor region a hydrophilic transfer region, and a hydrophobic gap between the acceptor region and the transfer region.

NOTES

This patent is related to Paper-Based Platform for Point-of-Care Diagnostics https://flintbox.com/public/project/29389/

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES

Patent Number Issue Date Type Country of Filing
8,945,485 Feb 3, 2015 Utility United States

Systems and Methods for Sleep Apnea Detection from Breathing Sounds

INVENTORS • John (Jack) Salisbury, Ying Sun

ABSTRACT

A method and an apparatus are disclosed for extending the service life of a battery source by fully utilizing the energy in batteries and/or providing higher energy reserve using multiple batteries. An universal battery bank consists of an ensemble of possibly heterogenous batteries all connected in series to provide a usable operational energy source.

APPLICATION

By placing a head of an electronic stethoscope over the subject’s suprasternal notch when they are awake. The device will pulse an electrical signal. This will help determine breathing sounds detected by the head of the electronic stethoscope within a frequency range, the breathing sounds corresponding to a patient breathing through their mouth.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

This device can help identify sleep related illness while the subject is awake. This eliminates the need for overnight sleep studies.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Patent Number Issue Date Type Country of Filing
9,345,432 May 24, 2016 Utility United States
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