Browse Technologies

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Vanderbilt researchers have developed a unique membrane material for more efficient and reliable eletrodialysis. By utilizing a 3D junction structure, the nanofiber bipolar membrane does not degrade or delaminate during high current passage unlike commercial 2D membranes that are currently available.

Bright minds at Vanderbilt University have unveiled a breakthrough technology that could bring sophisticated biomarker diagnostics to the developing world. The point-of-care diagnostic is designed to be used in the field; no specialized equipment, expertise, or white lab coats are required. The diagnostic is based upon the ingenous observation that evaporating liquid droplets leave behind a characteristic ring pattern, which may be familiar to our readers in the form of a coffee-ring stain.

Heart valve disease is the 3rd most prevalent source of cardiovascular disease, leading to approximately 20,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. Moreover, there are an estimated 41,000 mitral valve procedures performed in the U.S. each year. The only effective, long-term treatment for mitral valve disease is open-chest valve replacement surgery, which is highly undesirable for elderly patients. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop novel percutaneous strategies for treatment that will reduce the number of open-chest surgeries. David Merryman and colleagues have developed a new, combined catheter that uses cryo temperatures to adhere to moving mitral valve leaflets and radiofrequency ablation to alter the compliance of the leaflet tissue to prevent prolapse and regurgitation.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a low-cost, high sensitivity sensor based on a porous silicon (PSi) membrane waveguide. This sensor is designed to be a cost-effective alternative to conventional fiber optic and SPR sensors for both biosensing and chemical sensing applications.