Metallic Nanoparticles for Photothermal Therapy

The invention relates to the preparation and application of 20-150nm metallic nanoparticulate vesicles for photothermal anti-cancer therapy. The vesicles comprise metallic nanoparticles covalently bound to a hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer. The preparation method generally entails dispersing a polymer-bound metallic nanoparticle in an organic solvent, adding an aqueous solution with a dispersing aid, sonicating the mixture, and finally removing the organic solvent until the vesicle forms.

Albumin Binding Immunomodulatory Compositions

The invention relates to molecules wherein Evan’s Blue dye is chemically conjugated to CpG Oligonucleotides that elicit anti-tumoral or infection fighting immunity. Evans Blue, a symmetric azo dye, has high binding affinity to albumin. Albumin binding ability of Evans blue is utilized with CpGs and tumor-specific antigens, in order to leverage endogenous albumin that increases the safety and the potency of molecular vaccines.

Long Acting Therapeutic Conjugates with Evans Blue

This invention is a platform technology that pertains to the advantages of conjugating therapeutics to Evans Blue thus providing long lasting pharmacokinetic profiles by complexing with albumin. Notably, albumin bound therapeutic- or prodrug-Evans Blue conjugates provide a complex with a total molecular size above 60 kDa thus eliminating the risk for renal clearance. Interestingly, since albumin also crosses the blood-brain barrier and since all circulating Evans Blue is bound to albumin, Evans Blue bound therapeutics or prodrugs can also cross the blood-brain barrier.

Multi-Photon Microscopy System Configured for Multiview Non-Linear Optical Imaging

This invention is a microscopy device and system for multi-photon microscopy utilizing multi-view nonlinear optical imaging. Nonlinear optical imaging remains the premier technique for deep-tissue imaging in which typically a multi photon arrangement may be used to illuminate and excite a sample. However, the penetration depth, signal-to-noise ratio, and resolution of this technique is ultimately limited by scattering. The present system addresses these issues by sequential excitation of a sample through three or more objective lenses oriented at different axes intersecting the sample.

Evans Blue Dye Derivatives for Serum Albumin Labeling

The invention is an imaging agent and method of use for imaging blood pools and the lymphatic system. The imaging agent binds with high affinity to serum albumin, the most abundant serum protein, and can be tagged with several isotopes making it suitable for magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomographic imaging. To date, only very few blood-pool tracers have been introduced for positron emission tomography. The existing ones have short half-lives (20.4 min for 11C and 2.05 min for 15O) and thus can only be used in centers with an in-house cyclotron.

A Microfluidic Flow-Through Immunoassay for a Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Proteins in a Sub-Microliter Biological Sample

This invention presents a high throughput, multi-analyte microfluidic chip device. This device can be used for the detection and characterization of proteins, immuno-affinity assays as well as analyte detection in biological samples or other media. The sub-microliter volumes for use make this device applicable where biological samples are rare and difficult to obtain.

The device consists of a series of channels that are connected via communication ports for sample flow. The channels can be individually loaded with detection reagents via portals at their ends.

Cannula for Pressure Mediated Drug Delivery

Available for licensing are methods and devices for selectively delivering therapeutic substances to specific histological or microanatomical areas of organs (e.g., introduction of the therapeutic substance into a hollow organ space such as the hepatobiliary duct or the gallbladder lumen) at a controlled pressure, volume and/or rate which allows the substance to reach a predetermined cellular layer.

Polarimetric Accessory for Colposcope

In medical diagnostic procedures for examining the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva, long working-distance (-30 cm) lighted binocular microscopes (colposcope) that provide up to 25x optical magnification are used to create an illuminated magnified view. Speculum dilations can give rise to specular reflections from the tissue surface, causing physicians to overlook possible abnormalities – thus decreasing the quality of a colposcopy. 

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