Borrelia hermsii Isolate for Diagnostic Development

This technology includes Borrelia hermsii isolate for diagnostic development of serologic tests. Borrelia hermsii is the major identified cause of Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF) in humans in the western United States. Initial signs and symptoms of infection include fever, nausea, headache and malaise. Most cases are diagnosed on clinical suspicion and epidemiologic risk. Common source, case clusters notable. Microscopy and serologic detection of antibody responses to infection may aid in the laboratory confirmation or infection.

Dengue Virus Type 2 Isolates for Development of Diagnostics, Antivirals, and Vaccinations

This technology includes isolates of the Dengue Virus (type 2) which can be used to develop diagnostic tests, antivirals and vaccinations. These isolates are from Puerto Rico DENV-2 and have complete whole genome sequencing completed. Additionally, these isolates represent current stains of Dengue Virus which are circulating in the Caribbean.

A Murine IgG1 Monoclonal Antibody with Specificity for Chaetomium globosum Enolase for the Development of Immunoassay Platforms

This technology includes a murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb), 1C7, for the detection of Chaetomium globosum. The development of mAb-based detection methods may provide a standardized approach to quantify the target organism(s) using rapid immunoassay platforms. To date, mAbs are not available for Chaetomium species. C. globosum enolase was selected as a candidate biomarker for the detection of this species due to its presence within the cytosol and cell wall. C. globosum enolase was cloned and a recombinant expressed in Escherichia coli for the production of mAbs.

Engineering Noise Controls for a Longwall Cutting Drum Used in Underground Coal Mining

This technology includes a set of noise controls in the form of structural modifications to the cutting drums used in underground coal mining. Longwall shearer operators are exposed to high levels of noise, i.e., above 98 dB(A), which are clearly well above the permissible exposure level of 90 dB(A). In an effort to reduce this noise exposure, research was conducted that identified the longwall cutting drums as the most significant sound radiating components.

Hearing Protection Attenuation and Fit Using a Neural Network

This technology includes systems and methods which allow for a determination of the attenuation and fit of a hearing protection device based on images of a user’s ear. This technology can be used in a wide range of industrial and military settings including but not limited to factories, construction sites, mines, mills, airports, railroads, and military combat training environments.

Mycoplasma-free Pitman-Moore (PM) Strain Rabies Virus Stocks for Vaccine Manufacturing

This technology includes clean, mycoplasma-free, rabies virus stocks for use in vaccine manufacturing. Rabies virus causes a nearly uniformly fatal disease, but can be prevented by timely vaccination. An inactivated rabies vaccine for human use was first prepared in cell culture in 1964, using the Pitman-Moore (PM) strain of fixed rabies virus. Typical rabies vaccine virus stocks stored at the Centers for Disease Control are heavily contaminated by mycoplasma, there this stock provides an alternative supply which is free of mycoplasma.

A Dissolving Microneedle Patch for the Co-administration of Inactivated Rotavirus Vaccine (IRV) and Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)

This technology includes a new concept to develop a bivalent IRV-IPV combination vaccine against rotavirus and polio using a dissolving microneedle patch. Specifically, we describe the formulation for IRV, the fabrication of a microneedle patch for combined IRV-IPV, and the proof of concept for assessing potential interference of immunogenicity and dose sparing in animal studies. Licensed oral rotavirus vaccines, while effective in developed and middle-income countries, are significantly less effective in reducing cases of severe diarrhea among children in developing countries.

Application Chimeric Antibodies as Training and Quality Management Tools for Serology-based Tests

This technology includes a novel application of chimeric monoclonal antibodies (i.e.animal-human) as substitutes for patient /organism specimens to create standardized training (TP), proficiency testing (PT), quality control (QC), lot-to-lot validation, and new serologic test evaluation and validation panels to support the implementation of quality management systems (QMS) of serology-based tests.

Cell Line for Adult T-cell Leukemia with Stable Co-expression of CD4 and CD8 for the Development of Therapeutics

This technology includes a cell line of Adult T-cell Leukemia (ATL) which contains a full-length copy of the HTLV-I genome and dually expressed CD4 and CD8, which can be used for developing therapeutics against HIV and other diseases which may involve interaction with dual-positive T-cells. This cell line can also be used to study the regulation of various cellular genes by HTLV-I since it contains a single integrated copy of the virus expressing all of the viral gene products.