Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Health Research, Inc.

Georges Belfort

Joseph Imbrogno

John Joseph Keating

Joseph Grimaldi

James Kilduff

Mirco Sorci

James V Crivello

Joel L Plawsky

Pankaj Sakharam Karande

C Seth Pearson

Corey Christopher Woodcock

Kathleen A McDonough

Jun Ha Kwak

Zachary Andrew Kloos

Brian Murray

Dustin J Andersen

Marlene Belfort

Vicky Derbyshire

David Wood

Wei Wu

John Pieracci

Alexander Kenneth Lee

Mary E Brewster

Kun-Yong Chung

Istvan Zsolt Kocsis

Hideyuki Yamagishi

Peter Boehme

A method of assessing a membrane includes calculating fluid dynamic characteristics of at least one of a membrane and a material to be passed through the membrane, the membrane includes a plurality of rows and a plurality of teardrop structures arranged in the plurality of rows, the material includes particles; obtaining characteristic of at least one force acting on the particles of the material to be passed through the membrane due to the interaction between the particles and the membrane, the at least one force being an intermolecular force; and combining the calculated fluid dynamic characteristic and the obtained characteristics to assess the flow of the material through the membrane. In some embodiments, the teardrop structures in each row are arranged at substantially the same angle with respect to an anticipated direction of flow through the membrane.

Assay for filtration of suspended particles in microporous membranes

A method of assessing a membrane, including calculating fluid dynamic characteristics of at least one of a membrane and a material to be passed through the membrane, where the material comprises particles; obtaining characteristic of at least one force acting on the particles of the material to be passed through the membrane due to the interaction between the particles and the membrane, the at least one force being an intermolecular force; combining the calculated fluid dynamic characteristic and the obtained characteristics to assess the flow of the material through the membrane; and optimizing at least one characteristics of the membrane in relation to the material. The membrane includes a plurality of rows and a plurality of teardrop structures arranged in the plurality of rows. The teardrop structures in each row are arranged at substantially the same angle with respect to an anticipated direction of flow through the membrane.

The present disclosure relates to, inter alia, a modified surface comprising an optically active monomer, a polymeric material having a surface onto which the optically active monomer is covalently bound. In one aspect, a membrane comprising an optically active monomer, a poly(aryl sulfone) membrane having a surface onto which the optically active monomer is covalently bound. The present disclosure also relates to a method of modifying a surface, the method comprising applying sufficient energy to a surface to induce covalent bonding with an optically active monomer, and contacting the optically active monomer with the surface. In one aspect, a method of modifying a surface of a poly(aryl sulfone) membrane is disclosed. In another aspect, a method of synthesizing an optically active monomer is disclosed. In one aspect, a method of filtration of chiral compounds is disclosed.

Anti-fouling chiral surfaces for membrane filtration and methods therefor

A method for modifying a polymeric surface is disclosed. The polymeric surface is activated utilizing atmospheric pressure plasma. An atom transfer radical polymerization initiator is then coupled to the activated surface. A monomer is then polymerized on the activated surface utilizing an activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) process. The method enables brush-modification of the polymeric surface, even if the polymeric surface is substantially chemically inert. By way of example, the method enables a chemically inert, substantially hydrophobic polymer surface to be functionalized with substantially hydrophilic polymer brushes. The methods of the present disclosure have general applicability to a myriad of implementations where tunable surface chemistry is advantageous, such as filtration membranes, marine surfaces, and medical devices seeking a biocompatible coating.

Method for providing a modification to a polymeric surface

Disclosed herein are novel anti-microbial peptides with inhibitory activity againstandbacteria. Additionally, a method for designing novel anti-microbial peptides is disclosed.

Anti-microbial peptides and method for designing novel anti-microbial peptides

The present invention relates to synthetic membranes and use of these synthetic membranes for isolation of volatile organic compounds and purification of water. The synthetic membrane includes a hydrophobic polymer layer located on a polymeric membrane support layer. The invention includes a method of isolating volatile organic compounds with the synthetic membrane by contacting a volatile organic mixture with the hydrophobic polymer layer of the synthetic membrane and removing volatile organic compounds from the polymeric membrane support layer of the synthetic membrane by a process of pervaporation. The invention also includes a method of purifying water with the synthetic membrane by contacting an ionic solution with the hydrophobic polymer layer of the synthetic membrane and removing water from the polymeric membrane support layer of the synthetic membrane by a process of reverse osmosis. The invention also relates to methods of isolating non-polar gases by gas fractionation.

Synthetic membranes and methods of use thereof

A self-cleaving element for use in bioseparations has been derived from a naturally occurring, 43 kDa protein splicing element (intein) through a combination of protein engineering and random mutagenesis. A mini-intein (18 kDa) previously engineered for reduced size had compromised activity and was therefore subjected to random mutagenesis and genetic selection. In one selection a mini-intein was isolated with restored splicing activity, while in another, a mutant was isolated with enhanced, pH-sensitive C-terminal cleavage activity. The enhanced cleavage mutant has utility in affinity fusion-based protein purification. The enhanced splicing mutant has utility in purification of proteins such as toxic proteins, for example, by inactivation with the intein in a specific region and controllable splicing. These mutants also provide new insights into the structural and functional roles of some conserved residues in protein splicing. Thus, disclosed and claimed are: a genetic system and self-cleaving inteins therefrom; bioseparations employing same; protein purification by inactivation with inteins in specific regions and controllable intein splicing; methods for determining critical, generalizable residues for varying intein activity; and products.

GENETIC SYSTEM AND SELF-CLEAVING INTEINS DERIVED THEREFROM, BIOSEPARATIONS AND PROTEIN PURIFICATION EMPLOYING SAME, AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING CRITICAL, GENERALIZABLE AMINO ACID RESIDUES FOR VARYING INTEIN ACTIVITY

An ultrafiltration membrane is modified to exhibit low protein fouling and yet maintains a greater fraction of the original membrane permeability and retention properties after modification. This is achieved by grafting monomer onto the surface of a highly photoactive membrane such as polyethersulfone, via the process of dipping the polymeric membrane into a solution containing one or more monomers and a chain transfer agent, removing the membrane from the solution, securing the membrane inside of a quartz vessel contained within another vessel of liquid filter, and irradiating the membrane with a UV light at a wavelength between the range of 280 nm and 300 nm. High density grafting and shorter grafted monomer chain length result in low protein fouling and retention of permeability.

UV-assisted grafting of PES and PSF membranes

A method of modifying the exposed surface of porous and non-porous organic polymer materials provides a multiplicity bifunctional organic molecules that have opposite functional ends. One end of each is bonded to the polymer material to form a self-assembled monolayer on the polymer material with opposite ends of the multiplicity of bifunctional organic molecules forming a new exposed surface for the polymer material. The method includes modifying the new exposed surface by chemically interacting with the opposite ends of the multiplicity of bifunctional organic molecules.

Modification of porous and non-porous materials using self-assembled

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Slingerlands, NY, United States of America

Georges Belfort