Through the development of novel methods and devices, Indiana University faculty researchers are advancing human health and student education.

Nine patents were awarded to IU discoveries in the past two months from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office:

• Molecular modeling kits for classroom instruction: The developer is J.D. Mendez, professor of chemistry at IU Columbus. The kits are comprised of a series of molds that fit together like puzzle pieces to create models of any chemical compound using 3D printer pens. The customizable molds help students explore chemical compounds and their make-up.
• Combination therapies to treat cancer and other diseases: The developers are Mark Kelley, the Betty and Earl Herr Professor of Pediatric Oncology Research, and Melissa Fishel, an associate professor of pediatrics, pharmacology and toxicology at the IU School of Medicine. The APE1/Ref-1 protein is prevalent and overexpressed in many tumor types, which increases cancer growth and drug resistance for patients. The therapy method identifies novel potential drug combinations with APE1/Ref-1 inhibition to enhance cancer cell death. The combination therapy can be used to treat bladder, prostate, colon and ovarian cancer, leukemia, and retinal and cardiovascular diseases.
• Nanotechnology device to heal antibiotic-resistant infections: The developers are Alexander Gumennik, associate professor of intelligent systems engineering at the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering in Bloomington, and Chandan Sen, a former IU School of Medicine professor. The device can be stitched, pierced or topically applied to wounds to reduce the risk of infection and promote wound healing beyond stitching.
• A low-bitrate neural speech coding system: The developer is Minje Kim, a former Luddy School associate professor. Lower bitrate is critical for robust communication when network bandwidth is insufficient for voice communication — when speaking on the phone, listening to music on a mobile device or watching television. The low-bitrate coding system, which is scalable and low latency, decodes a speech by encoding the difference between numerous frames known as residual signals.
• Search term filtering method for clinicians: The developer is Titus Schleyer, a research scientist in the Center for Biomedical Informatics at the Regenstrief Institute and a professor of biomedical informatics at the IU School of Medicine. Schleyer developed a filtering model to better recommend patient-specific search terms to clinicians. The model identifies information based on the patient’s medical history and previous terms that clinicians searched to generate recommendations and reduce time spent manually searching. This is Schleyer’s second patent for this technology.
• Chamber for growing tissue: The developers are Lester Smith, an assistant professor of radiology and imaging sciences, and Paul Territo, a professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine. The integrated bioreactor chamber creates a culture environment similar to what tissues experience in the body. Once the tissue is inside the chamber, the bioreactor can be imaged, perfused, replenished with media and stimulated without removing the tissue. This reduces the risk of contamination and improves data collected from the tissue.
• A method for improved ion mobility mass spectroscopy: The developer is Ian Webb, an associate professor at the IU School of Science in Indianapolis. The method separates biologically important compounds more efficiently by reacting them with substances. The method improves the understanding of complex mixtures, making it easier to analyze biological and environmental samples.
• World’s brightest fluorescent materials: The developer is Amar Flood, professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington. The single-molecular ionic lattices, or SMILES, are the world’s brightest fluorescent materials. The technology has several use cases, like in medical devices to diagnose diseases, or in microscopes. This technology is licensed to his startup, Halophore.
• Small molecule regulators to reduce anxieties: The developer is Anantha Shekhar, former professor of psychiatry, pharmacology and toxicology at the IU School of Medicine. Malfunctions in G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium, or GIRK, channels lead to fear responses and the development of neuropsychiatric disorders such as PTSD, phobias, anxiety and other chronic mental conditions. These small molecule compounds have been shown to be highly effective to reduce fear without any significant adverse effects on normal motor, cognitive and behavioral functions.

These innovations were disclosed to the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office, which transfers IU innovations from lab to market for public benefit and global impact. The office files patents to facilitate commercialization of the innovations.