Award Data

A compact and affordable, microchip-based system for the automated, in situ analysis of inorganic ions in atmospheric aerosols will be develop and verified against traditional, filter-based methods. Our approach combines tow new technologies: (1) a growth tube impactor for particle collection and (2) lab-on-a-chip (LOC) analysis of sulfates and nitrates. The growth tube impactor enlarges indivi ...

Concern for the potential health effects of inhaled particulates led to a federal standard governing coarse particles, or PM10, for particles below 10 ¿m and subsequently to a fine particle (PM2.5) standard in 1997, for particles below 2.5 ¿m. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) retained the PM10 standard because all particles below 10 ¿m can penetrate into the pulmonary region. Be ...

Bioren's technology provides an efficient, automated, in vitro system to generate and optimize antibodies and antibody fragments through a rational, hypothesis-driven approach. Bioren's patented technology is based on synthetic oligonucleotide chemistry to create defined antibody mutations. Hypotheses regarding the impact of a specific amino acid's side-chain chemistry within the antigen binding ...

The goal of this Phase I research project is to establish the feasibility of a regenerable chemical sensor for in situ detection of halogenated hydrocarbons (HHCs) in water. The technology is expected to generate a device for rapid field tests related to spills and accidents. HHCs, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), have been widely used for degreasing operations and as dry cleaning agents. They ...

Light-weight, high-performance subcomponents, particularly filters and pumps, are needed to make a portable water purifier that can produce clean water from any source. At present, some of the principal problems that hamper this effort include the heavy weight of the pumps and their motors and the large size and fouling rate of pre-treatment filters. These problems may be overcome using Los Gato ...

During the anthrax attacks in 2001, investigators had difficulty in differentiating the strains apart because B. anthracis has a low level of genetic variability. This event demonstrated the need for rapid and precise molecular subtyping technologies. Lynntech proposes to develop an ultra-sensitive quantum dots-based molecular beacon fluorogenic reporter system to identify the presence of specif ...

Chlorinated hydrocarbons represent the most prevalent contaminants in the subsurface, threatening the quality of groundwater at aquifers. Existing technologies for monitoring these contaminants require expensive, labor-intensive methods of sample collection and analysis. The goal of this Phase I research project is to develop a low-cost, compact, reliable, automated, unattended, and long-term mo ...

The leading treatments for perchlorate removal are ion exchange with catalytic destruction and bioreactors. These treatments require significant labor and material inputs. The associated operating costs prohibit scaling to small systems (fewer than 25 people or 15 service connections). Even in large systems, the leading treatments are expensive, costing $100-$200/acre-ft, or 20-40 percent of wh ...

The threat of bioterrorism has increased the demand for advanced technologies to rapidly and accurately detect and identify numerous pathogens at the species and strain level in air, water, food and other matrices. Advanced automated instrumentation with low operating costs that can be rapidly adaptable to new pathogens or agents is required. This proposal describes rapid application of microflu ...

PCR and antibody-based devices are currently the primary platforms for bioagent detection. PCR offers high sensitivity and specificity, but has limited effectiveness for toxins (detects residual DNA, if any, in toxin preparations) and requires thermal cycling equipment, extensive sample preparation, and complex reagents. Antibodies, which utilize relatively simple chemistry, are effective for bo ...