Intel Corporation

Johns Hopkins University

Harvard College

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

David H Gracias

Grant M Kloster

Vijayakumar S Ramachandrarao

Timothy Gar-Ming Leong

Kevin O'Brien

Chris E Barns

Peter K Moon

Jihperng Leu

Lee D Rockford

Florin M Selaru

Hongke Ye

George M Whitesides

Hyun-Mog Park

Anthony Nicolas Kalloo

Mouen A Khashab

Joe Tien

ChangKyu Yoon

Yevgeniy Vladimirovich Kalinin

Kate Malachowski

Rebecca B Schulman

Angelo Cangialosi

Evin Gultepe

Thao D Nguyen

Michael D Goodner

Kevin P O'brien

Madan Dubey

Chih-I Wu

Christopher James Morris

Zaver Bhujwalla

Shivendra Pandey

Jinpyo Hong

Anum Azam

Joshua Fern

Christina Lee Randall

Mustapha Jamal

Timothy G Leong

Barjor Gimi

Ruohong Shi

Joyce Breger

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods including modular material controllers that combine amplification with logic, translation of input signals, and response tuning to directly and precisely program dramatic material size changes. In particular, the present disclosure provides locked gels having a polymer with a nucleic acid cross link and a nucleic acid lock in a locked conformation preventing the locked gel from reacting with other nucleic acid sequences and methods of unlocking the locked gels by adding a nucleic acid key to the locked gel or by changing an inactive nucleic acid key into an active nucleic acid key with a trigger.

Molecular DNA strand-displacement controllers for directing material expansion

A sub-centimeter structure includes a first structural component, a second structural component arranged proximate the first structural component, and a joint connecting the first and second structural components. The joint includes a material that has a first phase that is substantially rigid to hold the first and second structural components in a substantially rigid configuration while the material is in the first phase. The material of the joint has a second phase such that the joint is at least partially fluid to allow the first and second structural components to move relative to each other while the material is in the second phase. The joint interacts with the first and second structural components while the material is in the second phase to cause the first and second structural components to move relative to each other. And, the first and second structural components include a polymer.

Self-folding sub-centimeter structures

Microgrippers adapted to capture, manipulate, and contain single cells in both in vitro and in vivo cell applications are disclosed. The energy required to actuate these microgrippers is derived from the release of residual stress and does not require any wires, tethers, or batteries. Because the microgrippers are made from biocompatible and biosorbable materials, they do not accumulate in tissue. Accordingly, they can be used for in vivo applications, such as for gripping single cells in tissue biopsies.

Bioresorbable self-folding tools for surgery, single cell capture and manipulation

Described are a combinatorial library of DNA molecules that can induce shape changes within specific regions of hydrogels up to centimeter scales. The DNA molecules include polymerizing hairpins, terminating hairpins, reversal strands, and crosslink nucleic acid sequences.

Programmable soft robot

The present invention utilizes tetherless microtools to biopsy tissue. The invention provides a device and method for deployment and retrieval of tetherless microtools. The size of the microtools ensures that tissue damage at a site targeted for biopsy is negligible. As such, large numbers of microtools may be deployed ensuring that a true statistical sampling of biologic tissue is performed.

Method and device for statistical tissue sampling using microdevices

The presently disclosed delivery systems utilize microtools, also referred to as theragrippers, to deliver a drug or other therapeutic agent to targeted tissue. More particularly, the drug delivery system and methods provide a delivery system that is capable of anchoring to a tissue site and then delivering a drug or therapeutic agent to the tissue directly to or in the vicinity of the site over an extended period of time. Any number of theragrippers may be deployed as desired to deliver different doses of a desired drug or therapeutic agent. The theragrippers also can be biodegradable such that they remain in place for an extended period of time and then degrade without adversely affecting the surrounding tissue.

Self-actuating chemomechanical devices for delivery and extended release of therapeutic agents in the gastrointestinal tract

A device, system, and method for utilizing precisely patterned and chemically loaded three-dimensional porous containers akin to 'chemical voxels' is disclosed to enable display of dynamic visual patterns via spatial and temporal control of both local and global chemical release. Variations in porosity, volume, shape and relative positioning of the chemical voxels can be used to control the types of images that are formed with control in both space and time. Static or moving images can be displayed using the device, system, and method of the present invention.

Dynamical display based on chemical release from printed porous voxels

An array structure includes a plurality of containers arranged in a predetermined pattern. Each container of the plurality of containers has a maximum outer dimension that is less than about 1 cm, and each container of the plurality of containers has a substantially predetermined porosity.

Array structures of containers

A method of producing curved, folded or reconfigurable structures includes providing a polymer film, exposing the polymer film to at least one of patterned radiation or patterned chemical contact, and conditioning the polymer film subsequent to the exposing. The polymer film includes a polymer that is active to cross-linking of polymer chains in response to the exposing. The exposing is performed such that at least one exposed region of the polymer film develops a gradient in an amount of cross-linking of polymer chains along a cross-sectional direction of the polymer film, and the conditioning of the polymer film removes uncross-linked polymer chains to provide a curved, folded or reconfigurable structure.

Curved and flexible microfluidics

According to embodiments, an optically-actuated mechanical device comprises at least one deformable section formed of: an element including an intrinsic stress differential or gradient, the stress tending to urge deformation of one portion relative to another portion; and an optically-sensitive material which is configured to (i) initially prevent deformation of the device, and (ii) upon sufficient heating by absorbing optical energy allows the element to deform. The devices may be incorporated into various devices and apparatuses for select, non-contact actuation using only optical energy, for example, via light, from one or more lasers. Methods for fabricating and actuating such devices are also disclosed.

Optically-actuated mechanical devices

A lithographically structured device has an actuation layer and a control layer operatively connected to the actuation layer. The actuation layer includes a stress layer and a neutral layer that is constructed of materials and with a structure such that it stores torsional energy upon being constructed. The control layer is constructed to maintain the actuation layer substantially in a first configuration in a local environmental condition and is responsive to a change in the local environmental condition such that it permits a release of stored torsional energy to cause a change in a structural configuration of the lithographically structured device to a second configuration, the control layer thereby providing a trigger mechanism. The lithographically structured device has a maximum dimension that is less than about 10 mm when it is in the second configuration.

Reconfigurable lithographic structures

The present invention relates to a nanoscale or microscale particle for encapsulation and delivery of materials or substances, including, but not limited to, cells, drugs, tissue, gels and polymers contained within the particle, with subsequent release of the therapeutic materials in situ, methods of fabricating the particle by folding a 2D precursor into the 3D particle, and the use of the particle in in-vivo or in-vitro applications. The particle can be in any polyhedral shape and its surfaces can have either no perforations or nano/microscale perforations. The particle is coated with a biocompatible metal, e g gold, or polymer e g parvlene, layer and the surfaces and hinges of the particle are made of any metal or polymer combinations.

Self-assembled, micropatterned, and radio frequency (RF) shielded biocontainers and their uses for remote spatially controlled chemical delivery

The present invention relates to a nanoscale or microscale particle for encapsulation and delivery of materials or substances, including, but not limited to, cells, drugs, tissue, gels and polymers contained within the particle, with subsequent release of the therapeutic materials in situ, methods of fabricating the particle by folding a 2D precursor into the 3D particle, and the use of the particle in in-vivo or in-vitro applications The particle can be in any polyhedral shape and its surfaces can have either no perforations or nano/microscale perforations The particle is coated with a biocompatible metal, e g gold, or polymer e g parvlene, layer and the surfaces and hinges of the particle are made of any metal or polymer combinations.

Growing community of inventors

Baltimore, MD, United States of America

David H Gracias