Bloom Syndrome

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A glimpse into the future of American innovation and emerging technological trends from the nation's brightest young innovators — from a cerebral aneurysm test to biosensors that rapidly identify marine pathogens and harmful algal blooms — were recognized and honored this week at the 2023 Collegiate Inventors Competition®, an annual competition for college and university students and their advisers. Finalist teams (five Undergraduate and five Graduate), consisting of 22 students from eight colleges and universities across the United States, presented their inventions to an esteemed panel of final-round judges composed of the most influential inventors and innovation experts in the nation — National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officials. "The Collegiate Inventors Competition showcases the next generation of game changers — young inventors who demonstrate an innovative mindset that empowers them to solve the world's greatest challenges," said National Inventors Hall of Fame CEO Michael Oister. "These student teams earned the opportunity this week to meet and learn directly from our nation's greatest innovators — the Inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame." Established in 1990, the Collegiate Inventors Competition is a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and is sponsored by the USPTO, Arrow Electronics (sponsor of the Arrow Electronics People's Choice Award), and Honda. In addition to cash awards, the winning teams also receive a USPTO Patent Acceleration Certificate. FIRST-PLACE WINNERS ($10,000 PRIZE) UNDERGRADUATE: FADpad, Georgia Institute of Technology Team Members: Netra Gandhi, Rhea Prem, Ethan Damiani and Girish Hari; Adviser: Wendy Cocke Accessible, at-home diagnostics: One of the most common diagnostic tools in women's health, the Papanicolaou test, or Pap smear, is often uncomfortable and regarded as an invasion of privacy, and it is even stigmatized in some cultures. FADpad is an at-home menstrual blood screening tool that allows users to collect their personal health information safely, comfortably and privately. Targeted to users with limited access to the healthcare system, it could help address health disparities and prevent early deaths from cervical cancer among people who menstruate. GRADUATE: Cerebral Aneurysm Test (CAT-7) , University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Team Member: Adi Mittal; Advisers: Robert M. Friedlander, Kamil Nowicki Enabling earlier aneurysm diagnoses: Affecting an estimated 6.7 million people in the U.S., a cerebral aneurysm (CA) can cause neurological problems and can rupture, leading to life-altering or fatal brain bleeds. Diagnosis can be a long process, current tools are invasive, expensive and potentially toxic, and ruptures often occur before diagnosis or treatment. Cerebral Aneurysm Test (CAT-7) is the first simple, whole blood-based diagnostic test to detect the formation of a CA. It is noninvasive, less expensive, more accurate, safer and able to be used earlier in the care process. RUNNER-UP WINNERS ($5,000 PRIZE) UNDERGRADUATE: Bronchosleeve, Johns Hopkins University Team Members: Sneha Batheja, Ria Jha, Charlie Almoney and Arijit Nukala; Adviser: Brijen Joshi Supporting safety in surgery: One-lung ventilation (OLV), a procedure that provides surgeons with access to organs obstructed by an inflated lung, is required in 98% of pulmonary and cardiothoracic surgeries. However, current OLV devices have a 40% failure rate and a high probability of causing postoperative complications. The Bronchosleeve is a flexible yet sturdy device presenting many advantages over existing OLV devices. It is easy to insert, won't dislodge during surgery and aids visualization with a bronchoscope. In addition to addressing disparities and reducing patient injuries, it could decrease surgical time by 40% and save hospitals over $45,000 per procedure. GRADUATE: Entropic Biosciences Inc., University of California, Los Angeles Team Member: Amir Nasajpour; Adviser: Paul S. Weiss Assembling cells into functional tissue: Establishing tools for recreating functional human tissues and organs has been a grand challenge in biomedical engineering and healthcare. Entropic Biosciences Inc. has developed a bio-inspired rapid sample preparation kit enabling high-throughput culturing of multiple cell types and rapid self-assembly of these cells into 3D self-standing tissue. This technology can be employed to develop an array of tissue types from numerous cell sources. It enables the development of functional tissue and cancer models at faster rates than current technologies, accelerating life science research and drug screening in addition to working toward individualized treatments for cancer patients. ARROW ELECTRONICS PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER ($2,000 PRIZE) NucleoTide, Duke University Team Member: Daniel Collins; Adviser: Peter Nguyen Efficiently monitoring ocean health: Over the past several decades, a combination of natural and human-caused factors has led to an increase in the frequency, duration, size and impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs), with a global economic impact estimated at more than $8 billion annually. NucleoTide is a molecular diagnostic platform that uses CRISPR-based biosensors to rapidly identify marine pathogens and HABs. With a low-cost, hand-held device that filters and processes water samples, it enables lab-free, on-site ocean health monitoring and provides results in less than an hour, offering both economic and environmental benefits. About the Collegiate Inventors Competition The Collegiate Inventors Competition encourages and drives innovation and entrepreneurship at the collegiate level. A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, this competition recognizes and rewards the research, innovations and discoveries by college students and their advisers for projects leading to inventions that have the potential of receiving patent protection. Introduced in 1990, the competition has featured more than 500 innovators who have created cutting-edge, world-changing inventions, and awarded more than $1 million of support to winning student teams for their innovative work and scientific achievement through the help of its sponsors. For more information, visit invent.org/collegiate-inventors. CONTACT: Ken Torisky National Inventors Hall of Fame [email protected] 234-901-6085 SOURCE Collegiate Inventors Competition

As climate change warms the Earth, higher-latitude regions will be at greater risk for toxins produced by algal blooms, according to new research. The findings identify water temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit) as being at the greatest risk for developing dangerous levels of a common algae-produced toxin called microcystin. As climate change warms the Earth, higher-latitude regions will be at greater risk for toxins produced by algal blooms, according to new research led by Carnegie's Anna Michalak, Julian Merder, and Gang Zhao. Their findings, published in Nature Water, identify water temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit) as being at the greatest risk for developing dangerous levels of a common algae-produced toxin called microcystin. Harmful algal blooms result when bodies of water get overloaded with nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agriculture and other human activities. These excess nutrients can allow blue-green algae populations to grow at an out-of-control rate. Some blue-green algal species produce a toxin called microcystin, which can pose a serious health hazard to people and the environment, as well as pose economic risks for fishing and tourism. Microcystin affects liver function and can cause death in wild and domestic animals, including humans in rare instances. It is also classified as a potential carcinogen in cases of chronic exposure. "In 2014 an algal bloom in Lake Erie led to high levels of microcystin in water intakes, and residents in Ohio and Ontario were instructed not to drink tap water due to risk of exposure," Merder cautioned. Merder, Michalak, and their colleagues -- Carnegie's Gang Zhao, University of Kansas's Ted Harris, and Dimitrios Stasinopoulos and Robert Rigby of the University of Greenwich -- analyzed samples taken from 2,804 U.S. lakes between 2007 and 2017. They assessed how water temperature affects the occurrence and concentration of microcystin as part of an effort to better understand the risks to water quality posed by climate change. Michalak's lab has taken a leading role in understanding the intersection of climate change and water quality impairments for more than a decade. Previous work has shown that lakes worldwide are already experiencing more severe algal blooms and that nutrient pollution is being exacerbated by changes in rainfall patterns. "Lakes are sentinels of climate change," Michalak said. "They hold the vast majority, 87 percent, of the liquid freshwater on the Earth's surface, and the warming and precipitation shifts associated with climate change pose some of the greatest threats to water quality around the world and to the health of aquatic ecosystems." The surface temperatures of lakes have already been warming at 0.34 degrees Celsius (0.61 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade and Merder and Michalak set out to determine what this, as well as future warming, would mean in terms of risk for elevated toxin concentrations. "The abundance of blue-green algae is predicted to increase due to climate change as they outcompete other species," Merder explained. "But previous field studies came to various conclusions about what this means for microcystin concentrations." To inform land and water management strategies, it was important to quantitatively tie toxin levels to water temperature, which Merder and Michalak were able to accomplish through their extensive analysis of lake water samples, revealing that water temperatures in the 20 to 25 degrees Celsius (68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit) range were most dangerous in terms of elevated microcystin concentrations. They also found that the impact of temperature is amplified when nutrient concentrations are high. By incorporating information from climate models, they were able to demonstrate that areas most susceptible to high toxin concentrations will continue to move northward. In some areas, the relative risk of exceeding water quality guidelines will increase by up to 50 percent in the coming decades. Additionally, they showed that toxin hazards will decrease in a small number of regions further south, as water temperatures begin to exceed those associated with the highest risk. "These findings should help demonstrate the serious risk to safe water for drinking, fishing, recreation, and other societal needs in many parts of the United States and the urgency for developing management strategies to prepare," Michalak concluded. "When we think about water sustainability in the context of global change, we need to focus on the quality of the water as much as we focus on the amount of water."

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Collegiate Inventors Competition®, an annual competition that has rewarded innovations, discoveries and research by college and university students and their faculty advisers for more than 30 years, announced today its 2023 finalists. This year's finalists and their inventions provide a glimpse into the future of American innovation and emerging technological trends — from providing immunity from avian influenza to hunger-regulating hormone modulation. Through their research, these students have harnessed their "inner inventor" to make working prototypes that can positively change our world. Each year, individuals representing a broad cross-section of technological fields serve as first-round judges, evaluating entries based on originality of the idea, process, level of student initiative, and potential value and usefulness to society. The finalists will present their inventions Oct. 24 to a panel of final-round judges composed of the most influential inventors and invention experts in the nation — National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officials. Winning teams will be announced on Oct. 25. "The USPTO is proud to host the 2023 Collegiate Inventors Competition — a program where the brightest college minds will showcase inventions that will shape the future of American innovation," said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. "We look forward to meeting these amazing innovators at this event and recognizing them for developing solutions to real-world problems." Established in 1990, the Collegiate Inventors Competition is a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and is sponsored by the USPTO, Arrow Electronics (Arrow Electronics People's Choice Award), and Honda. Follow the National Inventors Hall of Fame on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram for updates and additional information. UNDERGRADUATE FINALISTS AviSafe , University of Pennsylvania Team Members: Haichuan Yang and Yuwei (Amy) Guo; Advisers: Ocek Eke and Henry Daniell Preventing avian influenza outbreaks : Easily transmitted and resistant to vaccines, avian influenza is a global concern. Five major outbreaks have occurred in the U.S. over the past decade, with the most recent causing over $3 billion in losses to poultry growers. AviSafe's FluShield antiviral poultry feed additive is a robust, low-cost, low-maintenance method for introducing immunity into large poultry operations. It can prevent infections, keep the virus from spreading to neighboring farms or wild birds, and reduce the chance of a new viral strain transitioning from poultry to humans. Bronchosleeve, Johns Hopkins University Team Members: Sneha Batheja, Ria Jha, Charlie Almoney and Arijit Nukala; Adviser: Brijen Joshi Supporting safety in surgery: One-lung ventilation (OLV), a procedure that provides surgeons with access to organs obstructed by an inflated lung, is required in 98% of pulmonary and cardiothoracic surgeries. However, current OLV devices have a 40% failure rate and a high probability of causing postoperative complications. The Bronchosleeve is a flexible yet sturdy device presenting many advantages over existing OLV devices. It is easy to insert, won't dislodge during surgery and aids visualization with a bronchoscope. In addition to addressing disparities and reducing patient injuries, it could decrease surgical time by 40% and save hospitals over $45,000 per procedure. FADpad, Georgia Institute of Technology Team Members: Netra Gandhi, Rhea Prem, Ethan Damiani and Girish Hari; Adviser: Wendy Cocke Accessible, at-home diagnostics: One of the most common diagnostic tools in women's health, the Papanicolaou test, or Pap smear, is often uncomfortable and regarded as an invasion of privacy, and it is even stigmatized in some cultures. FADpad is an at-home menstrual blood screening tool that allows users to collect their personal health information safely, comfortably and privately. Targeted to users with limited access to the healthcare system, it could help address health disparities and prevent early deaths from cervical cancer among people who menstruate. NucleoTide, Duke University Team Member: Daniel Collins; Adviser: Peter Nguyen Efficiently monitoring ocean health: Over the past several decades, a combination of natural and human-caused factors has led to an increase in the frequency, duration, size and impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs), with a global economic impact estimated at more than $8 billion annually. NucleoTide is a molecular diagnostic platform that uses CRISPR-based biosensors to rapidly identify marine pathogens and HABs. With a low-cost, hand-held device that filters and processes water samples, it enables lab-free, on-site ocean health monitoring and provides results in less than an hour, offering both economic and environmental benefits. ToxiSense, University of Pennsylvania Team Members: Andrew Diep-Tran, Aravind Krishnan, Udit Garg and Aarush Sahni; Adviser: Ping He A sustainable solution for endotoxin detection: Many pathogenic bacteria produce lipopolysaccharide compounds called endotoxins. These are toxic to humans, causing sicknesses including septic shock — the leading cause of death in hospitals — which results in 11 million deaths annually, or one in five deaths worldwide. An alternative to current expensive and unsustainable testing methods, which use horseshoe crab blood, ToxiSense is an engineered plant cell-based biosensor that detects bacterial endotoxin contamination in medical products and water. It can be applied in the biopharmaceutical industry and for waterborne disease testing. Each test kit offers substantial advantages in accuracy, sustainability and ease of use. GRADUATE FINALISTS Bioadhesive Ultrasound , Massachusetts Institute of Technology Team Member: Chonghe Wang; Adviser: Xuanhe Zhao Pioneering, long-term medical imaging: In a landscape dominated by episodic medical scans, the Bioadhesive Ultrasound (BAUS) patch is a leap forward. This innovative, wearable device adheres to the skin, offering continuous, medical-grade imaging of key internal organs over extended periods. Promising superior patient care, as well as cost and time efficiency, it reveals disease progression in real time and long term, ensuring timely interventions and optimal outcomes. The BAUS patch could make a revolutionary impact by merging the convenience of wearables with medical-grade imaging for a new era of patient-friendly, sustainable healthcare, in which medical imaging is continuous, profound and wearable. Cerebral Aneurysm Test (CAT-7) , University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Team Member: Adi Mittal; Advisers: Robert M. Friedlander, Kamil Nowicki Enabling earlier aneurysm diagnoses: Affecting an estimated 6.7 million people in the U.S., a cerebral aneurysm (CA) can cause neurological problems and can rupture, leading to life-altering or fatal brain bleeds. Diagnosis can be a long process, current tools are invasive, expensive and potentially toxic, and ruptures often occur before diagnosis or treatment. Cerebral Aneurysm Test (CAT-7) is the first simple, whole blood-based diagnostic test to detect the formation of a CA. It is noninvasive, less expensive, more accurate, safer and able to be used earlier in the care process. Entropic Biosciences Inc., University of California, Los Angeles Team Member: Amir Nasajpour; Adviser: Paul S. Weiss Assembling cells into functional tissue: Establishing tools for recreating functional human tissues and organs has been a grand challenge in biomedical engineering and healthcare. Entropic Biosciences Inc. has developed a bio-inspired rapid sample preparation kit enabling high-throughput culturing of multiple cell types and rapid self-assembly of these cells into 3D self-standing tissue. This technology can be employed to develop an array of tissue types from numerous cell sources. It enables the development of functional tissue and cancer models at faster rates than current technologies, accelerating life science research and drug screening in addition to working toward individualized treatments for cancer patients. FLASH, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Team Member: James McRae; Adviser: Giovanni Traverso Revolutionizing hormone therapies: Annually, hundreds of millions of people suffer from digestive, metabolic, autoimmune and neurological disorders associated with dysfunction of the gut-brain axis. Existing hormonal therapies for metabolic conditions are delivered directly through painful intravenous or subcutaneous needle injections and put patients at risk for severe side effects. FLASH (fluid-wicking capsule for active stimulation and hormone regulation) is a bio-inspired, ingestible electroceutical device that uses electrical stimulation to modulate hunger-regulating hormones. Unlike traditional hormone therapies, FLASH is noninvasive and painless, which encourages patient adherence and enables broader uptake. Nanopure Aqua, Dartmouth College Team Members: Junhu Zhou, Ziqian Wu and Congran (Billy) Jin; Adviser: John X.J. Zhang An innovative water quality monitoring solution: Over half of the world's population grapples with water scarcity and contamination issues. Conventional water quality monitoring methods involve slow processes and are often inaccurate. Nanopure Aqua presents a game-changing solution — an affordable, user-friendly system that can quickly and automatically detect multiple organic pollutants in a single water droplet with superb accuracy. This innovative, AI-powered, eco-friendly nanotechnology has the potential to transform global water treatment and analysis. About the Collegiate Inventors Competition The Collegiate Inventors Competition encourages and drives innovation and entrepreneurship at the collegiate level. A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, this competition recognizes and rewards the research, innovations and discoveries by college students and their advisers for projects leading to inventions that have the potential of receiving patent protection. Introduced in 1990, the competition has featured more than 500 innovators who have created cutting-edge, world-changing inventions, and awarded more than $1 million of support to winning student teams for their innovative work and scientific achievement through the help of its sponsors. For more information, visit invent.org/collegiate-inventors. CONTACT: Ken Torisky National Inventors Hall of Fame [email protected] 234-901-6085 SOURCE Collegiate Inventors Competition