Featured Technology
Advanced tissue engineering for wound care or surgery
Purdue University biomedical engineering researchers discovered that a portion of porcine (pig) small intestine had remarkable remodeling properties for the reconstruction and repair of anatomical defects. Applications for this extra-cellular matrix technology can be found in wound care, soft tissue augmentation, burn management, hernia repair, urological surgery and general surgery.
The first patent for extra-cellular matrix was filed in 1988 followed by a portfolio of more than 75 issued patents and an equal number of pending patent applications.
Licenses for various applications of this technology are held by DePuy Orthopedics of Warsaw, Ind., Cook Biotech Inc. of West Lafayette, Ind., (a Purdue Research Park company), and CorMatrix Cardiovascular of Atlanta, Ga. Medical products derived from this technology are marketed worldwide.
Take a bite of our disease- and pest-resistant apples
In cooperation with scientists from Rutgers University and the University of Illinois, Purdue University researchers have developed numerous hybrids of apples that display superior resistance to disease and pests. The PRI program has resulted in 1,500 selections, 44 of which have achieved advanced testing.
Apple varieties available for licensing include: Goldrush, Coop 38 (OTC No. 92093); Enterprise, Coop 30 (OTC No. 92092); and Pristine, Coop 32 (OTC No. 93070). Visit our available technologies page for more information
Engineered DNA constructs as masks for nanopatterning
Purdue University scientists have demonstrated that DNA can be used to produce highly defined nanopatterns or nanoimprints on metal surfaces. This technology has a broad range of applications from the fabrication of nanoelectronic circuits to biological microarrays. The use of designable molecular structures improves photolithography (the process of transferring a pattern from a photomask to the surface of a substrate, such as metal or silicon) by obtaining control of the topography of nanoscaled patterns and by scaling-down their feature dimensions to nanoscale. This allows for bottom-up self assembly using DNA nanostructures in the fabrication of semiconductor devices.
This technology (OTC No. 64024) is available for licensing. Visit our available technologies page for more information.
Advanced shape-search technology
Researchers with Purdue University’s Research and Education Center for Information Systems in Engineering (PRECISE) lab have created a new kind of search engine that lets users find items listed in an online catalog without ever needing to know the items' names, part numbers or keywords. Thanks to a major advancement in shape-search technology, all the user needs is a freehand sketch — a doodle. Purdue researchers have led the way toward developing search algorithms that rank among the world's fastest for a certain application: comparing 2-D and 3-D computer-aided design files and images that are ubiquitous in industry.
The technology is licensed to Imaginestics LLC, a Purdue Research Park company based in West Lafayette, Ind.
Nerve regeneration technology
Researchers with the Center for Paralysis Research in Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine have developed a treatment for central nervous system injury and disease that has shown early promise in bringing quality-of-life improvements to patients with paralysis. The technology includes a platform of treatment alternatives, including a medical device called the Oscillating Field Stimulator, a combination medical device and drug, and a series of drugs, all targeting injury and diseases of the central nervous system.
The technology is licensed exclusively to Andara Life Science Inc., an Indianapolis-based company that is a subsidiary of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Inc.
Paralysis prevention technology
Researchers with the Center for Paralysis Research in Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine have developed a technology that may someday prevent paralysis in humans with spinal cord injuries. The technology utilizes polyethylene glycol (PEG) to treat acute spinal cord injuries brain trauma, peripheral nerve damage or stroke. When administered within 72 hours of serious spinal injury, PEG was shown in preclinical studies to prevent or reduce permanent spinal damage in most dogs. Lab tests revealed that, even when the spine was initially damaged to the point of paralysis, PEG prevented the nerve cells from rupturing irrevocably, enabling them to heal themselves.
The technology is licensed exclusively to Memphis, Tenn.-based Medtronic Sofamor Danek, the spinal business of Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT).
Compact disc technology puts a new spin on disease diagnostics
A Purdue University physicist and chemistry professor have teamed up to develop a human diagnostics system – a BioCD – that detects biomarkers in the blood by using a direct-read, multiplexing approach that measures captured content (DNA, RNA, protein, etc.). This captured content indicates either the healthy state of an individual screening, a specific disease state that an individual may be suffering from (diagnostics of personalized medicine) or the physiological reaction of the human body to a therapeutic that is being tested/developed. This science is known as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc., and is expected to redefine how diagnostics are performed, drugs are developed, and therapeutics are prescribed over the next ten years.
The technology is licensed to Perfinity Biosciences, Inc., a Purdue Research Park-based company in West Lafayette, Ind., that is backed primarily by Indiana angel investors.
Targeted drug delivery-diagnostics using the vitamin folate
Purdue University chemistry researchers discovered a new generation of receptor-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. They learned that many types of cancer cells have a great affinity for folate – a form of water-soluble B vitamin – because these cancer cells need the nutrient in order to grow and divide. This research led them to develop folate-targeted chemotherapy, which involves tricking cancer cells into attracting and even ingesting anticancer agents that are attached to folate molecules. Scientists also developed an approach called folate-targeted immunotherapy, which involves attaching various markers to folate in order to force the body's immune system to fight the disease. The goal of both treatments is to target cancer while avoiding the surrounding normal tissue.
In addition, researchers developed a folate-targeted radiopharmaceutical imaging agent that is used to identify folate-receptor positive cancers.
Exclusive licenses for the therapies are held by Endocyte Inc., a Purdue Research Park company located in West Lafayette, Ind.
Improved tracking of GPS signals
Purdue University researchers have developed several methods for improved tracking of Global Positioning Systems’ (GPS) signals. GPS uses satellite signals to compute location and time data for ground-based devices. The technology is used extensively by both the private and commercial sectors in everything from surveying to navigation systems. These new tracking methods offer increased sensitivity and accuracy with less signal noise than traditional approaches.
This technology (OTC No. 63035, 64156, 64157) is available for licensing. Visit our available technologies page for more information.