California Institute of Technology

Other

Marie E Csete

Barbara J Wold

John Comstock Doyle

Morteza Gharib

David J Anderson

Peter J Edmonson

Lorenz Studer

William D Hunt

Sean J Morrison

Niema Mohammed Pahlevan

Ron McKay

Christopher D Corso

Anthony Dickherber

A system configured to be at least partially implanted along an aorta includes an inelastic, static member and a pinching member. The pinching member is configured to receive an activation signal at an activation rate and in response to the activation signal, repeatedly compress the aorta at the second location at the activation rate to pump fluid within the aorta in a desired pumping direction. The system is configured to selectively control wave reflections in order to achieve both improved wave dynamics to reduce cardiac load and increased (or at least non-diminished) blood flow to targeted organs within the cardiovascular system.

Vessel compression with hemodynamic wave reflection to control vascular wave dynamics and enhance blood flow

An acoustic wave sensor assembly includes piezoelectric material, a first acoustic wave resonator element structure mounted on the piezoelectric material for interacting with an electrical signal, the acoustic wave resonator element structure being operable to interact with an acoustic wave propagating within the piezoelectric material to produce a first frequency response. Further acoustic wave resonator element structures are mounted on the piezoelectric material for interacting with electrical signals, the further acoustic wave resonator element structures being operable to interact with further acoustic waves propagating within the piezoelectric material to produce subsequent frequency responses. The first acoustic wave resonator element structure and further acoustic wave resonator element structures are combined to form a ladder or lattice filter network to produce an overall frequency response. Sensitive areas are mounted on the piezoelectric material and associated with the acoustic wave resonator element structures which, if predetermined effects to be sensed or detected are present, are modified thereby to control the nature of the frequency responses with resultant specific perturbations of the combined frequency response and thereby provide information with respect to the predetermined effects to be sensed or detected.

Acoustic wave sensor assembly utilizing a multi-element structure

The present invention relates to the growth of cells in culture under conditions that promote differentiation, cell survival, and/or cellular proliferation. More particularly, culturing neural crest stem cells in low oxygen conditions is described.

Low oxygen culturing of neural crest stem cells and methods of use

The present invention relates to the growth of cells in culture under conditions that promote cell survival, proliferation, and/or cellular differentiation. The present inventors have found that proliferation was promoted and apoptosis reduced when cells were grown in lowered oxygen as compared to environmental oxygen conditions traditionally employed in cell culture techniques. Further, the inventors found that differentiation of precursor cells to specific fates also was enhanced in lowered oxygen where a much greater number and fraction of dopaminergic neurons were obtained when mesencephalic precursors were expanded and differentiated in lowered oxygen conditions. Thus at more physiological oxygen levels the proliferation and differentiation of CNS precursors is enhanced, and lowered oxygen is a useful adjunct for ex vivo generation of specific neuron types. Methods and compositions exploiting these findings are described.

Low oxygen culturing of central nervous system progenitor cells

The present invention provides a method of isolating, maintaining, and/or enriching for stem or progenitor cells derived from diverse organ or tissue sources. The invention specifically teaches that these can be accomplished by the controlled use of subatmospheric oxygen culture, and that the precise oxygen level or levels must be determined empirically and/or by reference to physiologic levels within intact functioning organ or tissue.

Methods for isolation and activation of, and control of differentiation from, stem and progenitor cells

The present invention provides a method of isolating, maintaining, and/or enriching for stem or progenitor cells derived from diverse organ or tissue sources. The invention specifically teaches that these can be accomplished by the controlled use of subatmospheric oxygen culture, and that the precise oxygen level or levels must be determined empirically and/or by reference to physiologic levels within intact functioning organ or tissue. In particular, culturing skeletal muscle progenitor cells in less than 12% oxygen conditions or under 1% oxygen level.

Growing community of inventors

Decatur, GA, United States of America

Marie E Csete