Determining the amino acid sequence of any given protein or polypeptide is a formidable task. The first major technology to emerge for this purpose was the Edman degradation method, which sequences a ...
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Intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescent markers can help surgeons target and rapidly identify tumorous tissue. The signals given off by these markers are relatively faint and normally viewed with a fluore...
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Although current microscopic optical systems are highly sensitive, they are generally bulky and expensive, and most have a severely limited field of vision. One alternative is adaptive microlenses tha...
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Proteomics is a relatively new discipline that is a large scale study of proteins. It includes systematically identifying the sequence, characterizing the structure and evaluating the function of all ...
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Surface mounted and exposed sensors are used in objects commonly found in a modern society that range from simple temperature monitors to complex airbag ejection systems. But sensors located on the su...
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Cellular interactions and signaling in multicellular organisms involve complex pathways that can be difficult to study when using macroscale in vitro culture systems, in part because traditional macro...
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Protein characterization has become an integral part of modern biology, even inspiring a new discipline known as proteomics, or the classification of proteins based on the genome of an organism.  MS ...
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Load bearing structures experience stresses and/or strains that deform the material from which they are made. Regardless of a building component’s size, exposure to or tolerance for stress and strai...
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Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is a technique capable of identifying large numbers of proteins in complex biological samples. In the process, peptides are ionized and an initial survey scan (i.e., a...
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‘Variable-focus’ lenses are lenses that have adjustable focal lengths. Liquid-based, miniaturized lenses of this type are useful in photonics, display systems and biomedical tools. However, they a...
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Isolating analytes from complex biological samples is one of the most crucial steps in many areas of biological research and clinical diagnostics. Paramagnetic particles (PMPs) or beads are important ...
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Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic radiation penetrates cloth, paper and partially into the skin without the damaging effects of X-rays. Portable electronic devices capable of generating this radiation w...
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Electrodes routinely are used in electrochemical sensing, fuel cells, batteries and numerous other applications. Critically, the surface of an electrode must be clean before sensing elements can be at...
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Tracking emissions, sensing earthquakes and monitoring patient brain waves are just a few of the applications that rely on changing, real-world information. In typical systems, sensors pass on raw dat...
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Confocal microscopy is used to view biological tissue through intervening tissues or structures. Multiphoton confocal microscopy uses a focused beam of photons to provide high-resolution images of tis...
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In ultrasonic welding, work pieces are clamped between a horn and anvil and then joined using high-frequency vibration energy. Friction and heat between the surfaces causes them to soften and meld tog...
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Mass spectrometry (MS) is a vital tool for identifying and tallying the different proteins, peptides and other molecules in a sample. To determine relative abundance, reagent tags are used to label th...
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For diagnosis and research it often is necessary to isolate a subset of cells from a sample that contains bodily fluids, contaminants, tissue and other types of cells. For example, determining a pati...
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Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are made of layered semiconductor materials and are suited for a variety of applications, ranging from environmental monitoring to explosives detection and missile-avoida...
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For many applications – from remote sensing to laser displays – it is necessary to convert the frequency of light via nonlinear interaction in semiconductor materials. Waveguide devices accomplish...
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Investigation of cells, biochemicals and other samples by microfluidic devices stands to aid a full spectrum of research, from global HIV initiatives to the development of new drugs. Such devices prov...
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The cellular-scale engineering that undergirds microfluidic systems has provided researchers with efficient tools for the analysis and manipulation of cells in vitro minisculo. Methods and devices ref...
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Identifying pathways involved in human diseases is the first step in the discovery of targets for therapy and diagnostics. Cell-based assays conducted in vitro are powerful tools in this process. Reco...
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Remote spectrographic measurements can be made using a fiber optic guide attached to a “U-bench,” an optical component that supports a light emitter opposite from a light collector or a mirror acr...
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Microtubes are minute structures of layered metal that have shown wide promise in many fields. Beyond wireless sensing and drug delivery, they are poised to improve optical technologies. Fiber optic ...
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