Funded Projects
Life Sciences
Development and commercialization of a designed regulatory protein (DRP) that activates the Erythropoietin gene in the treatment of anemia
PI: Steven Briggs, PhD and Trey Ideker, PhD
With the completion of the Human Genome Project, a genetic component to most diseases has been identified and, consequently,
gene-based therapeutics now can address hundreds of valid targets. However, the use of DNA technologies in humans remains largely
experimental and this has limited the therapeutic application of genomic information. In contrast, therapeutic proteins have been
used safely for decades. A protein that provided the benefits of gene therapy but with the safety of protein therapy could open the
door to exploitation of genomic information.
We recently described a class of proteins that act directly on DNA where they can activate or repress any target gene. When added to the extracellular medium that bathes human cells, these proteins, which we call designed regulatory proteins (DRPs), transit through the plasma membrane and enter the nucleus where they bind specifically to a designated 19 bp sequence of DNA. The objective of our project is to demonstrate the potential of DRPs to treat anemia. We have designed and produced a DRP to specifically repress expression of the human Survivin gene and can quickly do the same to produce a DRP to specifically increase expression of the human erythropoietin gene.
Rapid and Accurate Screening of Cancerous Cells in Biopsy Samples by a Protein-based Biosensor with TAT-HA2 Method.
PI: Shu Chien
Chien plans to establish the technology needed to develop an efficient screening test based on fluorescence resonance energy
transfer (FRET) microscopy to detect cancerous cells in clinical biopsy samples.
Chien's group has previously developed a FRET biosensor that enables the visualization of specific tyrosine kinase activity, called Src, in live cells with high temporal and spatial resolution. The activity of Src is closely correlated with early carcinogenesis. Proof-of-principle studies have demonstrated that the Src biosensor can accurately identify cancer cells mixed with normal cells, and recent studies have also revealed that HIV-1 TAT protein and a peptide derived from the influenza virus hemagglutinin protein (HA2) can facilitate priming of biopsy samples for FRET analysis. The grant will enable Chien to increase the efficiency, speed, and accuracy of the promising cancer-detection tool.
Development and Application of Biosensors to Monitor Kinase Activity with High Temporal and Spatial Resolution in Live Cells
PI(s): Shu Chien and Yingxiao Wang
Chien and Wang aim to establish the technology to monitor the activity in live cells of specific kinases, and to apply it to
different physiological and pathological conditions, especially for the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer. Kinases play a
crucial role in a variety of cellular processes, including cell division, angiogenesis, motility, and adhesion. Chien and Wang
have developed a biosensor capable of detecting kinase activity in live cells based on an optical technology which allows the
real-time measurement of kinase activity with high temporal and spatial resolutions in live cells. Preliminary experiments
have demonstrated that this biosensor reports kinase activity with high degrees of specificity and sensitivity. With the
von Liebig grant, they will conduct proof-of-concept research on this biosensor and its potential as a powerful tool to
efficiently and conveniently diagnose the different developmental stages of cancers, e.g. in a biopsy or a pap smear sample.
Advanced Medical Training Simulator Based on Operating Room Data
PI(s): Nathan Delson and Mike Bailey; School of Medicine Collaborators: Randolph Hastings, Matthew Weinger
The goal of this project is harness virtual reality, augmented reality, and computer-controlled mannequins to train personnel
in medical procedures—thus eliminating the current training method of practicing those skills on real patients. One of the key
challenges of developing accurate simulations is the current lack of accurate physical data required to model the procedure.
The approach of this study is to instrument medical tools used in the operating room, in order to measure the medical skill
and patient properties necessary for a realistic simulator. The medical procedure to be addressed with von Liebig equipment
grant is airway intubation via laryngoscopy. The simulator will be programmable to mimic patient anatomy observed during our
study, and cues from expert motions will be accessible to the trainee to assist and evaluate the trainee. The physical
properties of the simulator will be based on the stiffness properties acquired from the force and motion data from the
instrumented laryngoscope. This prototype will illustrate a new method for medical simulator development, with potential
applications in other medical procedures.
A comprehensive human papilloma virus (HPV) typing assay for early screening of cervical cancer
PI: Sadik Esener, Yu-Tsueng Liu, Dennis Carson
Cervical cancer is almost always caused by infections of the human papilloma virus (HPV). An estimated 50 to 80 percent of
the pre-cancerous lesions can be detected by Pap test, which is currently used more than 50 million times a year in the United
States even though the test is imperfect. While the country has seen a 70 percent drop in cervical cancer over the past five
decades, better tests are needed. HPV genotyping is a potential replacement for the Pap test.
The team has developed a novel platform that can be used for high throughput HPV typing. The technology incorporates HPV type-specific coded nanoparticles into cell-like micro-reactors where polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reaction is carried out. Therefore, up to millions of reactions could be carried out within a 0.2 ml tube. This platform is generally applicable for genotyping assays that require multiplexed PCR reactions.
Expansion of UCSD Pattern Recognition Methodology for Prediction of Biological Interactions
PI: David Gough
Dr. Gough and his colleague, Dr. Joel Bock, have applied for a patent on a new pattern recognition
methodology that would speed up the process of detecting possible interactions among millions of
proteins and inferring their biological functions. The methodology is for predicting protein-protein
interactions, and employs an algorithm that can be trained to recognize interactions in a limited set
of known interaction pairs. The algorithm can then be applied to a larger set of proteins of unknown
interactions to predict interactions with quantifiable accuracy. This method has been applied successfully
to proteins of several different organisms based on training information available on the web. The method
has major advantages in predictive capability and computational economy over other approaches, and is a
disruptive technology. The von Liebig grant will allow the team to (1) expand the application of this
technology to protein-protein interactions in a broader range of organisms, and (2) explore its application
to predict interactions between other types of biomolecules. These studies will solidify the foundation of
the UCSD intellectual property and may lead to other inventions.
Active Microelectronic Array for Massively Parallel Peptide Synthesis & Binding Constant Analysis
PI: Michael J. Heller
The complexity of biological testing requires experimental agility; as such we have seen a movement towards
customizable molecular arrays with a lower up front cost of production. The rise of Illumina in competition to
Affymetrix is evidence of this market shift. Illumina continues to be awarded lucrative government grants for
cancer analysis in lieu of Affymetrix largely because of the ability to reconfigure their genotyping platform.
Similar agility within the phenotyping market is currently unavailable, because of three factors 1) cost of
peptide synthesis, 2) scalability issues, and 3) inability to differentiate nonspecific protein interactions
during analysis.
We have developed an active microelectronic array which we believe circumvents these limitations. Specifically, we have what we believe to be a means to accelerate the synthesis of upwards of 1 million peptides in parallel at specified locations on a microchip. Current commercial costs of peptide synthesis range from $10-$30 per peptide and require many hours of serial labor to achieve high purity samples. In contrast, our parallel method for synthesis is estimated to require several hours to complete the entire library. This would be a disruptive, enabling technology within the pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and research tools markets.
Electric Field Induced Fluctuation of Quantum Dot and Fluorescent Quencher Probes for High Sensitivity Genotyping,
Gene Expression and Infectious Agent Detection
PI: Michael Heller
Efforts to detect infectious agents and other bioterrorism threats are stymied by the ongoing difficulty of doing
rapid genetic identification and eliminating the need for the time-consuming (and expensive) step common to all
current methods: amplification of the DNA/RNA target through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Professor Heller is
proposing a novel electric field mechanism by which a combination of a fluorescent nanoparticle (quantum dot)
and quencher fluorophore can used to detect very low levels of target DNA/RNA sequences in complex samples.
The proposal involves the development of pairs of fluorescent nanoparticles (i.e., quantum dots) and fluorescent
quencher probes which can selectively hybridize to a target DNA sequence. As part of a new process, Dr. Heller's
team will apply an oscillating electric field (DC or AC) to the sample which causes the fluorescent nanoparticle
and quencher probe combination that is hybridized to the target DNA sequence to produce an oscillating fluorescent
response. This oscillating fluorescent system can now be easily detected even among thousands of non-specifically
bound fluorescent particles. The endpoints of this research will be to optimize the performance of selected
donor/quencher pairs prior to commercialization, and Heller says it is likely, given that the experimental design
has been finalized, that this technology will be ready for market in less than one year.
Protease Detection System for the Inflammatory Response and Disease Diagnostics
PI: Michael J. Heller and Geert Schmid-Schönbein
Increasing evidence suggests that physiological shock, diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, tumors, and other diseases are associated with
an inflammatory cascade. This cascade is accompanied by elevated
permeability of the endothelium and release of degradative enzymes that
are targeted towards a variety of autologous proteins and lipids. Such
evidence now provides a great opportunity to develop a variety of
therapeutic interventions to ameliorate shock and treat inflammatory
diseases. Unfortunately, such interventions will be highly dependent on
the ability to diagnose and monitor a highly complex series of events
which occurs rapidly in shock scenarios and more subtly in chronic
inflammatory diseases. The goal of this work is to develop a novel
monitoring and diagnostic system to meet this important clinical need.
We are therefore developing a novel protease activity detection system for the monitoring of clinically relevant inflammatory responses and for disease diagnosis. The basic premise for our approach is to use electric fields to actively concentrate fluorescent labeled peptide substrates when cleaved by a particular enzyme. Cleavage of the fluorescent peptide substrates will result in a change in the net charge on the complex and the cleaved products can then be separated from the intact peptide substrate by application of a directed electrophoretic field. Subsequent detection is performed with a high sensitivity fluorescent detection device. These unique substrates will allow highly sensitive and selective rapid detection directly in clinical samples of the key enzymes (chymotrypsin, trypsin, elastase, matrix metallo-proteases, lipases, amylases) associated with the inflammatory cascade.
Highly functional hepatocytes on TiO 2 nanotube chips: New efficient modules for pharmaceutical
screening of drug toxicity and drug metabolism
PI: Sungho Jin, Hyam L. Leffert
The basic technology utilizes newly developed nanotech chips constructed of Titanium and Titanium dioxide.
The biocompatible surfaces of the chips comprise bonded titanium dioxide nanotubes, the geometry of which
facilitates robust and long-term culture of highly functional, normal (i.e. primary) mouse and human hepatocytes.
The technology can be used as a stand-alone chip, carrying human hepatocytes cultured in appropriately defined biological fluid and incubator systems, to be used for efficient pharmaceutical in vitro screening of drug toxicity and drug metabolism. Further monochip development into modular arrays, composed of hundreds to thousands of monochips, are envisioned for pharmaceutical use to provide high throughput robotic screening, as well as for eventual bio-artificial liver devices for the benefit of patients with liver diseases.
Improved Materials for Heat Exchanger Tubes for Power Plants
PI: Bimal Kad
Mechanically alloyed oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) Fe-Cr-Al alloy thin walled tubes and sheets, produced via powder
processing and consolidation methodologies, are viable component materials for eventual use at temperatures up to 1200oC in
the power generation industry. That is far above the temperature capabilities of conventional alloys. Target end-uses range
from furnace components, heat shields in re-usable space vehicles, gas turbine (jet engine) combustor liners, nacelles to
high aspect ratio (L/D) heat exchanger tubes in power plants. Recent studies in cross-rolled ODS-alloy sheets indicate
that transverse creep is significantly enhanced via controlled transverse grain fibering, and similar improvements are
expected for cross-rolled tubes. This project will systematically examine and validate post-extrusion forming methods to
create hoop strengthened tubes, which will be evaluated at 'in-service' loads at service temperatures and environments.
Kad and his colleagues aim for eventual commercial adoption in the power-generation market.
Real-time Volumetric Imaging of Neural Activity
PI: Albert Kellner (with Erik Viirre)
Evaluating neural activity in the brain today typically requires fluorescent dyes and large, expensive equipment for
MRIs, PET scanning and computerized tomography. But advances in optical physics and signal processing enable the
development of new instruments to assess neural activity. This project aims to develop a simple instrument that
measures neural activity using non-invasive in-vivo brain imaging of human subjects through the intact skull.
The imagers under development track the essential barometer of neural activity by measuring the optical scattering
of infrared light with neurons.
Non-invasive, volumetric measurements of neural activities are of extreme interest for many clinical medical areas, ranging from clinical diagnostics to stroke management and repetitive stress disorder. In addition, many research areas will benefit from real-time volumetric measurements, including fundamental neuroscience and cognitive science.
Apparatus for the Inspection of Pipes and Tubes
PI: Francesco Lanza di Scalea
The safe operation of oil, power generation, and chemical processing plants requires screening of their pipes
to ensure that there are no unacceptable levels of corrosion. Since a significant portion of industrial pipes
are insulated, this means that even external corrosion cannot be detected by visual inspection without the removal
of the insulation, which can be prohibitively expensive. A quick and reliable method for the detection of corrosion,
which does not require the removal of the insulation, is therefore required. Professor Lanza di Scalea is developing
an apparatus for the inspection of long lengths (hundreds of feet) of pipes and tubes -- only requiring access to one
end and without requiring insulation removal. The system will operate by long-range ultrasonic guided waves that will
be reflected by corroded areas providing a means for the detection and classification of the corrosion.
Development of Improved Radiological Predictions of the Risk of Rupture of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
PI: Juan Lasheras
Professor Lasheras hopes to improve the current capabilities of biomedical imaging techniques to better monitor the disease
progression in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA). Quantifying the spatial and temporal distribution of mechanical stresses
acting on the vessel walls, the project could lead to a quantitative assessment of the risk of rupture in AAA -
and potentially provide improved guidelines for intervention. Lasheras will work with other engineers, computer scientists
as well as physicians specializing in radiology and vascular medicine. The proposed method consists of using high resolution
computerized tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to reconstruct a three-dimensional model of the abdominal
aorta, including AAA. A finite-element computer code incorporating non-linear elastic effects and all physiological and mechanical
information of the arterial wall will be developed to compute the distribution of stresses along the aneurysm's wall to provide
information on the possible location of rupturing and a quantification of the risk of rupture.
In-Silico Modeling for Bioengineering and Medicine
PI: Andrew McCulloch
In systems biology, sufficient structural and cellular data are becoming available to develop predictive computational
engineering models of the physiological function of the heart and other organs. The PI already has a copyrighted software
package called Continuity, used by academic researchers for in-silico modeling. The proposed project is to convert that
package to a form suitable for licensing to a third party as a platform for the development of commercial software
tools for in-silico modeling in biomedical applications. The project will generate example data sets that demonstrate
the application of the software to medical device design, surgical procedures, diagnostic imaging and drug discovery.
Because of the high costs, regulatory requirements and social pressures of in-vivo testing, in-silico modeling is an
attractive element of the medical device and drug development pipelines that could decrease costs, reduce development
times and improve success rates in the development of FDA-approved therapeutic products.
Continuity is a scientific and engineering research tool with proven commercial applications, but it is not yet in a general-purpose format. This project will enhance the prospects of licensing it for commercialization and sale in the medical device, surgical planning, diagnostic imaging and drug discovery industries.
Patient-Specific Optimization of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
PI: Andrew McCulloch
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an increasingly popular strategy for improving pump function in heart
failure patients with QRS widening. However, about 30% of patients are considered non-responders, especially those
with myocardial infarcts. Moreover, there are no well-defined criteria for predicting outcomes or selecting pacing
sites and protocols such as V-V delay times. There is also evidence that many patients without QRS widening can benefit
from CRT, but no reliable criteria for identifying those patients. The objective of the proposed collaboration between
UCSD's Bioengineering, Medicine and Radiology Departments is to establish proof-of-principle for a new computer-based
strategy to optimize patient selection and efficacy of CRT in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).
Now that we have validated computational models of cardiac electromechanical interactions that predict the effects of ventricular pacing on regional wall mechanics and global function in animal models, we propose to develop new computational tools for performing diagnosis and patient-specific optimization of CRT. In this project, UCSD Bioengineers will collaborate with clinicians at the VA and UCSD Medical Center to prototype these new tools and validate them in patients with CHF. Once this proof-of-principle has been established and published, we have we have several commercial partners who may be interested in licensing or further developing this technology, especially Medtronic and Guidant. Medical imaging and clinical EP lab vendors are also very likely partners for commercialization of this technology.
Intra-Cavitary Miniature Portable Camera
PI: Yaov Mintz (PI), Yuhwa Lo (co-PI), and Truong Nguyen (co-PI)
Minimal Invasive Surgery (MIS) has gained a major role in the various surgical procedures. Since 1981, when the first
laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) was performed, this field of surgery has been greatly improved mainly
due to the advancements in technology. The “state of the art” of MIS today uses 3-6 abdominal skin incision (5-12 mm in length each)
which through them optic fibers, cameras and operating instruments are inserted into the abdominal cavity. The operation
is performed using long instruments which are inserted through these incisions and are viewed on a TV monitor beside the patient.
The available camera today for MIS is composed of a long shaft which contains several lenses and optic fibers (the laparoscope). The optic fibers convey xenon light via an external light source into the abdominal cavity and the lenses transfer the images from within the abdomen to an externally connected portable video camera.
There are several major disadvantages while operating by this method: 1. The operation is performed using two dimensional vision on a TV monitor while operating in a 3 dimensional field. 2. The operating field is restricted to the camera field. 3. The field of the operation is restricted by the choice of the primary incisions; hence the incision creates a hinge on the abdominal wall which restricts the movements of the laparoscope. In order to achieve the necessary angle of view there are 30/45 degree angled laparoscopes but still the most crucial instrument for MIS is failing to provide the required vision mainly due to the hinge created by the abdominal wall.
We intend to construct a new type of camera which will be free from this restricting hinge, offer 3 dimensional vision and auto-focusing, provide varying field-of-view via optical zoom, and will be able to be modified for applications other than surgery and medicine. This miniature camera will be inserted into the abdominal cavity through one of the existing incisions and connected to a 2 mm support needle on the abdominal wall but from within the abdominal cavity. It will have a 360 degrees rotation range on the horizontal plane and 250 degree rotation range on the vertical plane. Furthermore it will be possible to easily change the location of the camera by disconnecting and reattaching the support needle within the abdomen to achieve a better field of vision. None of the above mentioned abilities is offered by the cameras available today without performing multiple abdominal incisions.
Efficacy of Stratified Cartilage Tissue for Treating Articular Defects
PI: Robert Sah
The goal of Professor Sah's project is to engineer cartilaginous tissue in novel and effective ways for
joint repair and replacement. Current therapies are limited by lack of donor tissue and a lack of prosthesis
durability for active patients, and the current generation of engineered cartilage. Sah has already invented
Methods to Engineer Stratified Cartilage Tissue (disclosed in 2001 and with a patent application in progress),
which demonstrated the ability to tailor cartilage to have cells at a surface producing SZP (Superficial Zone Protein),
a molecule critical for lubrication. In this project, Sah and his team will conduct high-risk in vivo experiments in an
attempt to establish key scientific concepts and experimental models, relating the presence of SZP to maintenance of
cartilage health, and conversely, the loss of SZP to joint deterioration. If successful in showing the association between
loss of SZP and the failure for repair, the value of the earlier invention will increase greatly, because it will be established
that having SZP-producing cells at a surface will most resemble normal cartilage. Also, an in vivo model would be established for
future studies that will directly test the therapeutic efficacy of SZP-based therapies and pave the way for future clinical trials.
In Vivo Efficacy of Stratified Cartilage Tissue
PI: Robert Sah
In his second project award from the von Liebig Center to date, Professor Sah and his team will test a new
way to engineer cartilage tissue for joint repair and replacement, after developing in 2001 a method of creating
cartilaginous tissue constructs through fabrication of a tissue with stratification, localizing specialized cells
at the tissue surface. These cells express the functional marker molecule thought to be critical for lubrication.
In the past year, Sah's group has developed methods for testing the efficacy of these implants, and the von Liebig
Center funding will allow them to carry out the tests in vivo in adult mini-pigs, to determine whether such stratified
constructs are better than the established microfracture type of repair. Positive results could stimulate further
industrial interest, and pave the way for immediate applications in animals (e.g., dogs, horses) as well as human clinical trials.
Development of Filter System for Humoral Cell Activators in Severe Cardiovascular Diseases
PI: Geert Schmid-Schoenbein
The project aims to develop a system to filter blood in shock patients, to eliminate humoral inflammatory mediators
(toxic protein fragments). In the absence of a pharmacological response to shock, the only current alternative for
blood filtration in shock patients is plasmaphoresis, which removes all components of the blood, regardless of cell
toxicity. The filter system will be designed with specific characteristics that are optimized for binding of protein
fragments. It will be tested in two steps; initially under in-vitro conditions with toxic protein fragments generated
in the laboratory from homogenized tissue and in a secondary sequence of experiments it will be tested in rodents
subjected to an experimental form of shock. The design objective is to achieve a greater than 90% reduction in the
toxic protein fragment level in a living animal under conditions of hemorrhagic shock.
Development of a Filter System for Removal of Humoral Cell Activators in Severe Cardiovascular Diseases
PI: Geert W. Schmid-Schoenbein
Professor Schmid-Schoenbein and his team have completed the examination of several filter devices to remove inflammatory
mediators from plasma. The rate of clearance was found to be optimal during use of a glass-fiber filter. Subsequent tests
in a rat hemorrhagic shock model showed no improvement in survival, but analysis indicated that (a) there may be complement
and prothrombotic enzyme activation in the plasma on the glass filter, and/or that (b) the rate of filtration by collection
of individual blood samples from the femoral vein needs to be accelerated and replaced by a continuous plasma filtration process.
With the von Liebig Center funding, the researchers will conduct studies they hope will help establish the feasibility of a
filtration technology to remove inflammatory mediators from plasma. Schmid-Schonbein's team will filter the plasma in the
presence of a protease inhibitor to block complement and thrombotic cascade activation and minimize complement activation
during the filtration process. The team will test whether the glass filter still eliminates the inflammatory mediators in the
presence of protease inhibitors under in-vitro conditions, and whether filtration with the modified glass filter with protease
inhibitor serves to reduce the level of inflammatory mediators in a rodent model of shock, improve blood pressure and survival.
A Fiber Optic-Based Sensor System for Real-Time Shape Reconstruction of Deformable Objects
PI: Michael Todd
During major seismic events, horizontal ground motion can lead to soil liquefaction, and subsequent lateral spreading
of the liquefied ground material is the largest cause of structural damage, including cracking, fracture, and even
catastrophic failure. In partnership with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Professor Todd demonstrated a
prototype for a novel sensor concept based on fiber optics and a thin flexible beam transducer mounted on a laminar
box experiment at UCSD. The simple beam geometry allows for easy conversion of local displacement at each point into
an integrated bending displacement profile for the beam. This approach has the advantages of minimal intrusivity, high
sensitivity, insensitivity to electromagnetic interference, and easy sensor multiplexing for greater spatial profile
resolution. Todd now wants to go several steps further. The Center funds will allow him to investigate design improvements
for field ruggedness; to initiate an integrated hardware/software design and a user-friendly interface; and to demonstrate
a redesigned prototype in a larger-scale series of tests to establish performance parameters. Ultimately, Todd hopes to
present a design to the ground-motion sensor industry.
Handheld Self-Contained Alveolar Gas Analyzer for Investigating Lung Disease
PI: John West
Measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide in the depths of the lung - so-called alveolar gas - typically requires cumbersome
equipment that is not portable. Professor West -- who is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Physiology in the UCSD
School of Medicine -- has already constructed a crude proof-of-concept device with only an oxygen analyzer, and it successfully
tracked the changes in alveolar oxygen when a subject traveled to the UC White Mountain Research Station, altitude 3800 meters.
The purpose of this new project is to build a full prototype with both O2 and CO2 analyzers and the appropriate electronic
circuitry. West believes the handheld, self-contained alveolar gas meter has potential commercial value because it would permit
non-invasive testing, notably in the hospital emergency room to assist in the diagnosis of various respiratory diseases, and
also in a paramedical setting at a road accident where injury of the chest wall is suspected.
Software and Internet Technologies
Enabling Affordable, Predictable, Reliable Wireless Data Services through Adaptive Content Shaping
PI: Sujit Dey
Next-generation wireless data networks are starting to offer new data services. Additionally, wireless data devices
(wirelessly-connected laptops, PDAs and cell phones) are becoming more popular and affordable. But delivery of wireless
data to, as well as general Internet surfing on, these devices is hampered due to limited bandwidth, unpredictable error
levels, and handheld constraints. Dey and his team have developed techniques for shaping data dynamically as a function
of network and device conditions and constraints, resulting in a rich wireless surfing experience. Wireless network
operators as well as content providers and aggregators already have expressed interest in this technology. This grant
will enable Dey and his team to make this software more commercial-ready and add several advanced features.
Overcoming Information Overload by Measuring Message Quality Automatically
PI: Charles Elkan
Professor Elkan is developing software to measure the quality of messages and documents automatically,
and other software to enable a web server to give faster responses to high-priority users. The first
software can assess documents in milliseconds, and developers say the technology "scales easily to
millions of documents and millions of users." The von Liebig funding will help Elkan commercialize
the first application based on the technology – to financial message boards. Elkan, an expert in data
mining, expects that the software will benefit major service providers, such as MSN, AOL, and Yahoo.
He also sees great potential for the technology benefiting many other companies in a wide variety of
market segments.
HAP: A Software Tool for Identifying the Genetic Basis for Human Disease
PI: Eleazar Eskin
With the explosion of genomic sequence data and the completion of the human genome project, much of the
progress in understanding the genetic basis of disease relies on computational analysis of the genomic
data, including data on the variation in genes associated with a disease for a population of individuals.
Understanding the genetic basis of disease involves two steps: determining the functional variants in
each gene locus that is linked to the disease and the effect of functional variants on the regulation
and gene products of the gene; and understanding how these intermediate phenotypes affect disease outcomes.
Using this information, researchers can identify subtypes of the disease which are candidates for different
drug response. Eskin's group has developed a powerful piece of software for performing this analysis -
inputting genotypes and outputting haplotypes for each individual. The two-year-old HAP Webserver
(http://www.calit2.net/compbio/hap)
has already processed over 4,000 datasets from researchers around the world. In early 2005, a new
version will be released, and articles in several high-profile publications will highlight the project.
Eskin sees strong commercial potential among pharmaceutical and biotech companies on top of the
public-domain availability of the HAP Webserver for non-commercial and research purposes. The
von Liebig Center funding will allow the group to work on potential commercial uses of the software.
ActiveCity - Location-based, Advertising-supported Services via Mobile Phones
PI: William Griswold
Griswold is developing a mobile phone application called ActiveCity. Based on the location, time,
day, and the personal profile of a phone user, ActiveCity will keep the user apprised of nearby relevant
opportunities. The application would provide reminders and suggestions for shopping opportunities, coupled
with online coupons and multimedia advertising. Additionally, the application could advise of friends and
family members who are nearby. Griswold's group has developed technologies for PDAs and mobile phones for
performing low-cost location-based computing that has the potential to be highly portable and robust.
The group also has developed market models with von Liebig Center students, and Griswold is developing an operational demonstration of an ActiveCity mobile phone application based on the market analysis developed by the students.
High-level Synthesis Using Aggressive Parallelization of System C Code
PI: Rajesh K. Gupta
There have been numerous attempts in the past at creating an effective high-level synthesis tool for
designing integrated circuits directly from a behavioral language. While each of them has its own merits,
Gupta and his team (in collaboration with Alex Nicolau and Nikil Dutt at UC Irvine) have taken a novel
approach to this challenge by using aggressive code parallelization and motion techniques to discover
circuit optimizations beyond what is possible with traditional approaches. They have developed a number
of speculative code motion techniques and dynamic compiler transformations that optimize the circuit
quality in terms of cycle time, circuit size, and interconnect costs. This grant will enable his team
to productize the tool by enabling it to interface to common industry formats, linking it to simulation
tools, and filing for appropriate intellectual property rights.
FX: Easy, Effective, Online Photo Enhancement
PI: David Kriegman
The goal of this project is to create FaceFX, a Web 2.0 solution to putting your "best face forward" in
the new digital world. FaceFX is pushing the frontiers in ease of use, and redefining digital image
enhancement from a user's perspective. FaceFX exploits a confluence of technologies in computer vision,
computer graphics, and machine learning to provide non-professional digital photographers with the power
of professional touch up, without the need to learn complex software. Addressing every person's desire to
look good, the team is pioneering new techniques specifically targeted at improving the appearance of
people in photographs, with little or no user intervention. The first online release of FaceFX will be
built on a platform that supports the development of a breadth of advanced computer vision methods,
allowing a scaleable and extensible solution suite that will keep pace with the growth of digital photo and video assets.
In addition to bringing conventional digital photo editing capabilities to the web, the team will use UCSD patent pending gloss-removal technology for images and videos, and develop methods for automatic flash correction, automatic red eye reduction, automatic shadow softening, blemish removal, wrinkle removal, and other automated face effects. This technological edge differentiates FaceFX from other photo sharing, photo printing, and image processing services.
Interactive Game–based Music Annotation for Musical Retrieval and Recommendation
PI: Gert Lanckriet
Interactive Game-based Music Annotation is a technology that uses interactive Web-based games to create a database
of high-quality, consistent song annotations (pairs of songs and descriptive words). The annotated database is used
to drive both a "musical search engine" and a "musical recommendation system." This technology provides a valuable
service and significant competitive edge to music recommendation companies, such as Apple iTunes, Pandora, Amazon,
and Yahoo! Music, that require quality annotations for effective navigation through large commercial databases of music.
Funding will be used for commercialization and additional technology development.
Low-Cost De-Interlacing Technique for Progressive-Scan Video Player
PI: Truong Nguyen
Professor Nguyen's research team has invented a very efficient, low-cost algorithm for motion estimation that
produces much improved video quality in today's interlaced television reception—especially on large screens,
where the artifacts due to interlacing are more pronounced. This invention would be a clear improvement on the
very simple de-interlacing techniques now built into all commercial DVD players which do not produce high-quality
video on big-screen TV sets. The choice of the present interlaced television system arose from numerous compromises
between the visual quality of the displayed image, the bandwidth required for the transmission, the technical
feasibility of the fundamental components, the cost price of the receiving set and other economic considerations.
Unfortunately, interlacing produces some disturbing visual artifacts like interline flicker, line crawling and pairing.
In the recent few years with the advent of big screen televisions and DVD technology, the dream to realize the movie
viewing experience at home has become a reality. The artifacts due to interlacing are more pronounced when viewed on
large screens. The development of the line doublers and finally the progressive scan DVD player is a direct consequence
of this quest for much improved quality video. Nguyen's project will further optimize the technique to minimize the
computational cost and implement the algorithm on Texas Instruments and VHDL chipsets to accurately measure its
computational cost and the chip size needed for hardware implementation. This technique could eventually improve
all DVD players, a market of 25 million sold in the United States alone in 2002—and growing at 50% a year.
Video Walkie-Talkie Appliance
PI: Truong Nguyen
The combination of new mobile communication standards (3G) and advances in wireless, PDA and networking technologies
is creating opportunities for wireless multimedia access. But current multimedia standards such as MPEG-4, H.264 and
H.324 are not designed for mobile devices, and the current default codec for image transmission – JPEG – is not ideal
for wireless because it does not take advantage of temporal redundancy using motion estimation and prediction. The
result: the decoded image is degraded significantly. As part of this project, Professor Nguyen will develop the prototype
of an efficient video codec for wireless multimedia that uses the latest models of mobile phones and PDA with built-in
cameras, color screens, etc. This Walkie-Talkie appliance will incorporate Dr. Nguyen's latest research on real-time video
coding algorithms as well as decoding enhancement algorithms. He expects that the prototype will attract sponsors including
service providers, consumer electronics companies, chip manufacturers, mobile phone and PDA manufacturers.
Video Instant Messaging System
PI: Truong Nguyen
This is the von Liebig Center's third award to Professor Nguyen, and will build on work he did as part of a 2003 grant to
develop a "Video Walkie-Talkie." Nguyen's group is now developing a video instant-messaging system that would work
over wireless 802.11 (Wi-Fi) or cellular networks. Users with PDAs could easily videoconference with anyone on their "video buddy list" -
with the video streams delivered automatically at the best level of quality available for the specific device. Nguyen sees a
pressing need for video instant messaging in the homeland security arena, where emergency first responders and law enforcement
would benefit from situational awareness to observe activity at other parts of a disaster scene. Video could also be "pushed"
to phones to provide alerts and instructional video information such as news reports.
Real Time Image Scaler
PI: Truong Nguyen
Image scaling, the process of scaling the size of images and video from low-resolution, is directly beneficial for a
wide variety of end-user applications. Constraints, such as legacy hardware systems or limited storage and transmission
capacity, often prevent the communication of high-resolution images and video content. However, quoting the title of ProAV
magazine's online resource, “resolution reigns supreme”, and trend lines for the market in 2007 make HD and telepresence
videoconferencing a formidable trend. It is this existing need for high-resolution video sequences in an industry where
the video itself does not exist that motivates the development of our proposed technology.
There are many applications for this proposed technology, including but not limited to: large screen television entertainment using low-resolution broadcasts, DVD player conversions of regular or HD content into super HD content, camera phone and iPod image enhancements, cameras for traffic monitoring and closed-circuit surveillance, and online digital maps. The proposed technology is independent of the application, allowing simultaneous development for any foreseeable market in video and image resolution enhancement.
App2you: Customizable Webb Applications for Everyone
PI: Yannis Papakonstantinou
The addressed pain point is that the design, development and deployment of custom Web applications, where members of an
Internet or Intranet community can exchange structured data and collaborate, remains the domain of highly skilled professionals.
The app2you project solves the problem by bringing Internet users to the drivers' seat: It allows every Internet user to create and own a hosted Web application where his/her community exchanges data and collaborates. The user may draw the Web pages of the application using the JustSketch interface and assign access rights for the users of the application. Then a pp2you inspects the HTML structure of the pages and the hyperlinks connecting the pages and infers a database and web application. In the more typical use case, the user starts from app2you-provided Web application templates and modifies them with JustSketch to fit his needs.
The target audience of app2you is the millions of communities that want web applications where they can exchange data and collaborate but do not have the time or money to hire IT professionals.
The technology of app2you is based on the app2you WebDB framework, which maps page and page components into a database schema. The mapping is enabled by app2you's analysis of the context in which every page and its components are found, where the context includes both the individual structure of each page as well as the hyperlinked structure of the full set of pages and the access rights.
Next-Generation Computational Mass Spectrometry for Proteomics
PI: Pavel Pevzner and Vineet Bafna
The estimated size of the Proteomics market today is $6 Billion, of which around $3 Billion is Mass Spectrometry and is
expected to grow at more than 11% per year (GEN: Vol. 26 No. 3 p1, 2006; TCAW: Vol. 10 No.10 p45, 2001). With
instrumentation capabilities significantly improved in the last decade, software is proving to be the new bottleneck in
making optimal use of the huge amounts of data generated by these very expensive instruments. Although there are companies
selling software in this field, there are three major challenges being faced by the industry: (i) Existing software, which
usually comes bundled with the instrument, is slow and inefficient. (ii) There are only few limited applications that
existing tools in the market offer. (iii) Unlike genomics, computational mass spectrometry is a very hard field to enter
in, owing to the inherent complexity in the huge datasets. Our computational mass spectrometry group, the biggest in this
field, has developed a set of extremely efficient and vital algorithms for processing mass spectrometry data.
Personal Digital Tele-viewer for Handheld Devices
PI: Mohan Trivedi
Traditional pan-tilt-zoom video monitoring systems permit only one remote viewer to have a customized view at a time.
A digital tele-viewer (DTV) is a software tool that taps into an omni-directional video feed, and unwarps the video into
a customized view. Many users can customize their views simultaneously from the video stream of one 360° camera.
Adapting this technology to PDAs and other mobile devices would provide clear benefits for crisis management, traffic
monitoring, surveillance, virtual reality, and other purposes.
NetControl: Setting the Internet on AutoPilot
PI: George Varghese
As the Internet expands, it is taking more and more time to oversee the networking technology that links it all together.
Now, Varghese believes that he has settled on new software systems that could effectively remove human beings from the loop
in certain key networking functions such as controlling Internet attacks and spam. He is proposing to develop two new software
products that, according to one von Liebig reviewer, "represent technology that could solve a real pain."
Materials/Electronics/Devices
Novel SiGe Processes and Devices for Nano-Photonics Applications
PI: Prabhakar Bandaru
Experts in the photonics industry see potential in the integration of Germanium-based optical components with conventional
CMOS-based electronics, allowing for the development of opto-electronic integrated circuits with superior performance and
functionality (compared to optical or electronic circuits alone). With this grant, Bandaru hopes to collaborate with an
industry leader on further development and commercialization of his technology to make a Germanium-on-Silicon integrated
photodetector capable of detecting 2.5 Gigabits per second.
Enabling highly efficient heat-energy conversion, through Si/SiGe Quantum Well Thermoelectrics
- application to biomedical device technologies
PI: Prabhakar Bandaru
This project aims to develop thermoelectric device modules for application to biomedical devices, such as hearing
aids and pacemakers. In addition to tackling an important and pressing problem, the advantages of the proposed
approach include high performance, scalability and integration with Silicon electronics. In preliminary experiments,
the team has obtained one of the highest figures of merit ever for a thermoelectric material in Si/SiGe
structures and now aims to extend it for practical application.
Commercialization of a new class of reconfigurable dynamic robot
PI: Thomas Bewley
UCSD's Coordinated Robotics Lab has designed a new class of convertible dynamic robot capable of rolling in horizontal
mode and hopping over obstacles. Large wheels serve as both drive wheels (when roving in either horizontal mode or vertical mode)
and inertial reaction wheels (to stabilize the vehicle when these wheels are not in contact with the ground). A control box
contains accelerometers/gyros for situational awareness, several motors for both spinning the various wheels and pretensioning
the spring-loading hopping mechanism, and control electronics for coordinating the vehicle. As with modern jet airplanes, this
design exchanges positive inherent stability for improved maneuverability and efficiency, relying on feedback control to
stabilize the vehicle.
This project is designed to help the Coordinated Robotics Lab bridge the gap from these research prototypes to a new line of miniaturized, inexpensive, commercial products. The team's initial efforts will target the toy and educational-toy markets. Later efforts will extend the design to defense, homeland security, fire and rescue, nuclear waste monitoring, and scientific exploration.
Ultra-fast Combustion Stability and Performance Senor
PI: Steven Buckley
Emissions requirements for stationary and mobile power sources have led to combustion-control problems, notably oscillatory
behavior that diminishes performance and can damage equipment (such as turbine blades). Professor Buckley and his team have
developed gas-absorption sensors that can be multiplexed in a single fiber optic, based on tunable diode lasers that are used
in the telecommunications industry. Buckley's sensors can measure emissions and performance oscillations at rates needed for
rapid feedback control of these devices (e.g., 500 Hz and above), and because the sending and receiving electronics can be mounted
at some distance from the high temperature process, only a small optical access is needed for the fiber-optical input and exit.
The von Liebig Center grant will pay for proof-of-concept and prototyping work, including integration and testing of the requisite
combination of gas sensors.
Active Noise Control of Cooling Fans: Applications to Air Ventilation, Data Projectors and Computer Systems
PI: Raymond de Callafon
Forced airflow cooling is required in many industrial and electronic systems, including computers, data projectors and air ventilation systems,
creating an audible noise. For low frequencies in particular, reducing the noise emission may require a large amount of 'passive' sound absorption
material. Professor de Callafon believes that a good solution to deal with the noise problem is active noise control (ANC) – canceling sound by
either a controlled emission of a secondary opposite (out-of-phase) sound signal, or controlling the absorption and boundary conditions of
insulation material. ANC hardware and algorithms for a fan by itself would be commercially not realistic, as this would increase the cost of
the fan. However, integration of the ANC in a system as a whole is not only cost effective but also significantly better for the control of
sound. The implementation of ANC is complex due to the (unknown) dynamic and spatial relationships between noise source and noise cancellation
objectives. However, with the growing availability of efficient transducers (microphones), data processing algorithms can be used to estimate and
characterize the dynamic sound propagation to optimize the development of noise cancellation algorithms. The primary goal of this project is to
show proof of concept for ANC in various commercial systems and to address the complexities in ANC by developing new data based modeling and control
strategies for active sound cancellation. This project will demonstrate proof of concept for various systems and the technology for ANC in these systems
will provides new technical developments and material for patents.
Extending Ion Thruster Engine Lifetime
PI: Russell Doerner (with Dennis Whyte)
Each satellite typically has several ion thruster engines on board for positioning control while in orbit. Increasing the lifetime of
a satellite requires doing the same for the engines, whose lifetime is determined by the erosion rate of the molybdenum (Mo) accelerating
grids within the engines. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of increasing the resistance of the grids to erosion
and extending their mean time to failure by as much as 500%. While there are only a handful of companies that manufacture ion thruster
engines for satellites, the monetary size of this market and the impact of increasing the lifetime of a satellite are large. The project
will conduct proof-of-principle experiments to enhance the value of this technology for worldwide licensing, and fund a patent application.
Bio Implant and Accelerated Cell Growth Devices
PI: Sungho Jin
Titanium metals and alloys are widely used in orthopaedic and dental implants. Jin's project aims to develop and optimize the
nanoscale surface structure of titanium for improved bone growth, and to study the effect of processing parameters, microstructural
specifics, and surface conditions on biological interactions. Jin will investigate the possibility of significantly accelerated bone
growth on a template of biocompatible material consisting of geometrically controlled and nanostructured surface coating that is
strongly adhered to titanium metal. Titanium implants that have been modified with the surface coating may offer an improvement
over existing titanium implant devices used in orthopaedic and dental reconstruction surgeries for accelerated healing and
therapeutic functions.
Integrated Adaptive Optics for Cameras in Cell Phones, PDAs, Notebook Computers, and Micro Surveillance Systems
PI: Yu-Hwa Lo
A growing percentage of the 535 million cell phones sold each year contain cameras, and the improvements in picture quality have
mostly come from electronics through expansion of the number of pixels and image processing capability. Further improvement will
require changes in the front-end optics that have become the bottleneck for performance, functionality and the cost of all miniature
cameras. With support from DARPA and the U.S. Air Force, Professor Lo's group has fabricated a prototype integrated optical-front-end-on-a-chip,
using microfluidic and optical MEMS technologies. This comes at a time of growing industry interest in fluidic lenses for high-performance,
multi-functional, and cost-effective miniature imaging systems. Having overcome the major technical hurdles, the focus of Lo's effort under
the von Liebig Center grant will be on product development, notably hiring of a product engineer to generate samples for alpha-testing in
7 to 9 months after the program starts, and beta samples in 12-15 months.
Development of a Solid-State Lamp
PI: Joanna McKittrick
Solid-state lighting will eventually replace conventional lighting, such as incandescence and fluorescence. The devices are flat and
do not require a vacuum (incandescent) or a pressurized gas (fluorescent) to operate. They are more energy efficient, and have low
maintenance and longer lifetimes than conventional bulbs. Professor McKittrick (in collaboration with Cree, Inc. and the Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory), will build a compact solid-state white-light source that can be used for solid-state lighting and other general illumination
applications. The device to be demonstrated will lead to a high-performance, white-emitting light emitting diode (LED). The device will
use several phosphors to simultaneously generate different colors that combined (based on the additive principle of color theory) will
produce white light and/or simply using the single-phase composition approach. McKittrick and her team at UCSD have recently developed
mixtures of three compositions (of red, green and blue phosphors), as well as single-phase white-emitting phosphors. The blends and
compositions can be activated efficiently with gallium-nitride (GaN) radiation.
Improved Method of Semiconductor Wafer Fusion
PI: Vitali Nesterenko
The main goal of Professor Nesterenko's project is the development of a process based on hot isostatic pressing with uniform
bonding over the size of wafers - with diameter about 50 mm on first stage and with 6 inch diameter on the last stage, with minimal
wrapping of wafers and without intermediate layers. This will determine the lowest level of temperature exposure and optimize P-T-time
bonding window. The participants in this project successfully demonstrated feasibility of the process on small-scale wafers and filed
UCSD disclosure. Significant efforts are needed to advance this approach toward large-scale bonding. Efforts to model residual stresses
in bonded wafers with a goal to reduce their level, to test bonding quality based on resonance ultrasound spectroscopy, and to use a
variety of prebonding techniques are also planned.
Liquid Power – A Flexible Solution
PI: Yu Qiao
The "liquid super-sponge" is a liquid-like material that can change volume and absorb energy when subjected to external pressure.
These materials are of ultrahigh energy absorption efficiency, orders of magnitude higher than that of engineering rubbers and reinforced
composites – having broad applications in healthcare products (e.g. liquid shoes or shoe insoles, liquid helmets), liquid armors, car bumpers,
and other applications. Funding for this project will be used to develop a commercialization strategy for this technology, including the use of
the liquid super-sponge for the liquid shoe/insole market.
Torque Pulsation Compensation Schemes for DC Motors + Robotic Arm for Stroke Patient Rehabilitation
PI: Alan Schneider (with Alex Seguritan)
This project has two phases. The first involves developing software and hardware that can be applied to commercial electric motors to
mitigate the adverse effects of torque pulsation disturbances that are deleterious in many applications that involve high precision
positioning. The applications for this technology are limitless, covering anything where high precision motion control is required.
Potential uses range from military and automotive applications, to the medical industry, including robotic surgical instruments controlled
by surgeons performing highly accurate surgery, rehabilitation devices for trauma and stroke patients, auxiliary motion control suits which
could help quadriplegic patients walk, and replacement artificial limbs.
The specific application to be developed in the course of this project would benefit stroke victims. Stroke is the leading cause of acquired adult hemiplegia in the United States . Over 2 million Americans suffer from permanent neurological deficits of stroke. Limb spasticity remains one of the major rehabilitation challenges. The system under development consists of a direct-drive brushless DC motor which powers the adjustable mechanical arm into which the patient's arm comfortably fits. The motor drives the robot arm under closed-loop feedback control using a digital computer as a programmable controller. The "robot arm" is a tool to make quantitative measurements of spasticity, thereby facilitating the assessment of spasticity-reducing therapies, including drugs, and the study of neuromuscular causes of spasticity. The initial commercial market would be in pharmaceutical companies and other research institutions, followed by full-scale production and sale to major rehabilitation clinics. A later development would be a smaller, lighter, cheaper version for home use by stroke patients.
Testing of Supported Zeolite Membranes Produced by Electrophoretic Deposition
PI: Jan Talbot
Supported zeolite membranes are used in gas separation and pervaporation. Existing processes are not reproducible and zeolite films are prone
to cracking or formation of macropores which short-circuit permeation through the zeolite pores. Professor Talbot and her team have developed an
easy and reproducible procedure by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to produce uniform and homogeneous zeolite films on porous metallic supports.
These supports are for potential use in membrane separation processes. This project will test the supported membranes produced by EPD for gas
separations by collaboration with a company or university that have gas separation membrane testing equipment. Typically, supported zeolite
membranes have been used to separate hydrogen from nitrogen, oxygen from nitrogen, and carbon dioxide from nitrogen. Existing test equipment
will be modified to test these membranes for gas separation, and the testing will allow Talbot to assess the viability of the EPD process as
a means to produce supported zeolite membranes for gas separation.
A technique for debris reduction in extreme ultraviolet lithography light sources
PI: Mark Tillack
Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is a leading candidate for the next-generation patterning technique used to produce smaller and
faster microchips with feature sizes of 32 nm and below in the semiconductor industry. In order to succeed, a powerful and clean EUV light
source is required.
Laser-produced plasma has become one of only two promising candidate sources adopted by industry. However, fast particles generated by laser-produced plasma can damage the optics in an EUVL system and shorten their lifetime. At present, the most urgent challenge for fielding a commercial EUVL light source is to mitigate high kinetic energy debris.
We have proposed and demonstrated a novel technique to efficiently reduce the fast particles generated from laser-produced plasma by introducing a low energy early laser pulse. As compared with the case of a single laser pulse, a reduction in ion kinetic energy of more than a factor of 30 has been demonstrated, while nearly the same conversion efficiency from laser to in-band 13.5 nm EUV light has been maintained. This is a larger reduction than any previous technique has been able to achieve. The technique is simple and inexpensive to implement. It is easily coupled into existing EUVL systems and easily combined with other existing techniques, such as gas stopping.
We have disclosed this enabling technology to UCSD and a provisional patent application is underway. With modest additional support, necessary improvements to satisfy the requirements of industrial application will be carried out, potential industrial partners will be contacted and a full utility patent will be sought. This technology will be of interest to manufacturers of the lasers used in EUVL systems and to lithography light-source developers.
Yellow-Amber-Red Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Fabricated from a New Material System and Technique
PI: Charles Tu
Solid-state lighting recently has become one of the most exciting subjects of research in the semiconductor technology area. Visible color
LEDs are useful for outdoor full-color displays, signaling, traffic lights, automobile lights. White light from LEDs would offer many advantages
for general lighting: reduced electrical energy consumption, reduced carbon-related pollution, increased lifetime, and so on. There are numerous
research approaches to the problem, especially the best materials and devices. Professor Tu has filed a provisional patent on a new material
system and fabrication technique based on gallium nitride phosphide (GaNP) that would replace more traditional yellow-amber LEDs thanks to GaNP's
higher luminescent efficiency. Some of its advantages derive from the fact that the material is grown through one-step epitaxy that is much simpler
than conventional methods of substrate removal and wafer bonding. With von Liebig Center funding, Tu aims to acquire specialized test and
measurement setups for LEDs, and proceed to fabricating prototypes and comparing them to existing commercial high-brightness LEDs.
Synthetic Bone by Hydrothermal Conversion of Shells and Marine Skeletal Structures
PI: Kenneth S. Vecchio
Vecchio is developing a new method for creating synthetic bone for biomedical applications. The basis of his technology is the hydrothermal
conversion of aragonite, or calcite crystals forming mollusk shells and marine bones, to hydroxyapatite, the mineral component of bones and
hard tissues in mammals. The major hurdle to synthesis of synthetic bone from aragonite/calcite is the difficulty of making sufficiently dense
forms of hydroxyapatite with strong mechanical properties. On the other hand, the dense aragonite crystals in shells and marine bones have
excellent mechanical properties. Vecchio has demonstrated the complete conversion of specimens (25 mm by 25 mm by 4 mm) of various aragonite
shells to hydroxyapatite. In addition to the conversion to hydroxyapatite, certain marine structures can be converted to a tricalcium phosphate
phase, which is believed to be both biocompatible and bio-resorbable, meaning the implants can over time be replaced by natural bone growth.
The continuation of the project will include preliminary in-vivo experiments of the synthetic bone samples to determine biocompatibility,
and to fabricate prototype samples of the synthetic bone material in the shape and size needed for actual bone replacements.
Development of Cost-Effective Amorphous Steels
PI: Kenneth S. Vecchio
The aim of this project is to develop a recent invention of an iron (Fe) rich, low-cost alloy possessing an amorphous structure,
requiring only a modest cooling rate to make amorphous, thereby constituting what is referred to as a 'bulk metallic glass'
material (also known as amorphous steels, when they contain 60 to 70 atomic percent iron). Using an iron composition of 50 to
70 atomic percent, low-cost bulk processed amorphous steels have been created in Professor Vecchio's lab. These materials exhibit
tremendous properties as compared to conventional steel, while maintaining a price point and manufacturing process that should model
conventional steel. Amorphous steels of the present design will find broad commercial application, potentially enabling civilian
and military vehicles of significantly reduced weight (and therefore higher fuel efficiency and/or transportability) without
sacrificing structural durability. Likewise, bridge and infrastructure projects will benefit from the greater strength and
corrosion resistance provided by amorphous steels, and seagoing vessels could benefit from shallower drafts and non-ferromagnetic
hulls to avoid magnetic triggering of mines. Currently, the only commercial bulk metallic glass material is a class of alloys based
on zirconium produced by a company called LiquidMetal. It is mainly used in sporting goods (such as tennis rackets, baseball bats,
and golf club heads) and in consumer electronics (e.g., cell phone cases and antennas). The material under development by Vecchio
at UCSD has substantial potential for these any many other applications, including biomedical implants, transformer cores, and so
on. In addition, it is much cheaper than LiquidMetal, because it is iron-based rather than zirconium-based.
New Method to Create Synthetic Bone
PI: Kenneth S. Vecchio
The aim of this project is to refine a new method for creating synthetic bone for biomedical applications such as dental implants
and biocompatible prosthetic interfaces. Vecchio recently developed a new method to convert marine skeletal structures into new
materials with a composition similar to the structural basis of bone. These new materials have microstructural architectures similar
to the marine skeletons imparting excellent mechanical properties, but possess bio-compatible constituents. This project will focus
on optimizing the conversion process to develop this new material while maintaining the architecture structure required for
high-performance bone substitutes.
Continuous Yarning of Ultra-Long Carbon Nanotubes for Structural Integration
PI: Kenneth S. Vecchio
The aim of this project is to develop a new method for spinning carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into threads that can be yarned to
create ultra-long carbon nanotube (ULCNT) reinforced composite materials. We have recently optimized the process of growing
low cost carbon nanotubes using the chemical vapor deposition method, with improved efficiency of the carbon source, yielding
continuous mats of well-aligned carbon nanotubes in lengths in excess of 7 mm. In addition, we have been working on handling
methods that allow these continuous mats of CNTs to be converted into threads and yarns by extracting and spinning of CNTs
bundles. These yarns have now shown strengths in excess of 3 GPa, indicating the very good properties achieved by the
yarning process.
The yarning methods have been applied to our very long CNTs, resulting in significantly increased yarning speeds, yarn diameters, and yarn lengths. Given these very promising results, the prospects of large-scale CNT reinforced materials may be realized. The proposed work will focus on developing a continuous method of yarning CNTs, wherein, their production in ultra-long lengths, their spinning into threads and yarns, and their subsequent spooling will be integrated into one process. The range of potential products mirrors those already established for conventional carbon fiber reinforced materials. In fact, a simple way to envision the products that would utilize the ULCNTs are both the existing markets for carbon fibers, as well as many new advanced structural applications made possible by the increased strength to weight property of ULCNT composites over carbon fiber composites.
InP Nanowire-Based Large-Scale Photo Sensing Array with Ultra-High Sensitivity, Super Low Power Consumption,
Wide Bandwidth and High Frequency
PI: Deli Wang
Semiconductor nanowires are attractive building blocks for the 'bottom-up' assembly of nanoelectronic systems.
The ability to control the electronic properties of nanowires in a predictable manner during synthesis has enabled
reproducible fabrication of a number of nanodevices based on single nanowires, such as field effect transistors (FETs).
Professor Wang and his colleagues have grown high-quality, indium phosphide (InP) nanowires using metal-organic chemical
vapor deposition. They have also fabricated devices such as a photodetector based on nanowires. Wang's research shows
these nanowire-based photodetectors exhibit ultrahigh sensitivity and extremely large gain.; He foresees great
potential for commercialization of high-sensitivity, high-speed, and cost-effective photodetectors enabled by nanotechnology,
and Wang's new funding will allow him to further the commercialization and fabrication technology of novel, nanowire-based
photodetectors.
Zinc Oxide nanowire light emitting diodes (LEDs) - cheaper and brighter light source
PI: Deli Wang
Nanowires are one-dimensional nanostructures with the diameter from a few nanometers to a few tens of nanometers and
a few micrometers in length. The unintentionally doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires are intrinsically n-type and complementary
doping (both n-type and p-type doping) is essential for functional device applications. The recent breakthrough in the p-type
doping in Wang's research group makes ZnO light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and injection laser possible. This project will focus
on the development and commercialization of ZnO nanowire based LED, which promise high carrier injection efficiency and
consequently LED efficiency, improved light extraction efficiency, and low-cost fabrication. Potential market this technology
include light emitting diodes, solid state lighting, displays, traffic lights, back-lighting for LED displays, and other
Nanostructure-based Enhancement of Semiconductor Optical Absorption for Photodetectors and Photovoltaic Device
PI: Edward Yu
Professor Yu and his team have developed a novel technique to enhance the near-surface absorption of photons by
semiconductors using engineered nanostructures placed on the surface of the semiconductor. The approach leads to a
substantial increase in optical absorption, even in silicon-based semiconductors. Now, Yu plans to adapt this technology
to thin-film photovoltaic solar cells and other semiconductor photodetectors. The commercial potential is huge: Even a
moderate increase in efficiency of thin-film solar cells could have a major impact on the economic viability of solar power
generation via photovoltaics, which as of 2001 was a $2 billion industry and is projected to grow to roughly $15 billion by
2020. Yu will collaborate with investigators at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado , to test the
technology in realistic solar-cell devices to gauge their efficiency.
Increasing Solar Cell Efficiency Via Incorporation of Engineered Metallic Structures
PI: Edward Yu
Yu's laboratory has developed a novel technique to enhance the near-surface absorption of photons by semiconductors
using plasmon resonances in engineered metallic nanoparticles placed on the surface of the semiconductor. A UCSD
invention disclosure and provisional patent application covering this concept and its application to solar cells and
other semiconductor-based photo detector devices have been submitted.
Yu is applying the technology to thin-film photovoltaic solar cells in the development of a prototype in collaboration with researchers at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He has developed a process for fabricating individual photovoltaic devices incorporating transparent indium tin oxide contacts. He has integrated that process with the incorporation of colloidal gold nanoparticles in a process to fabricate an improved photovoltaic device. Yu plans to optimize the energy conversion efficiency of his technology.
Electro-optic Waveguide Modulation using Inner Step Barrier Quantum Wells and Peripheral Coupled Waveguide
PI: Paul Yu
As new generations of optical networks take shape thanks to advances in fiber-optics technology, engineers must also develop
new devices that will keep pace with those advances. To facilitate the modulation, switching and detection of optical signals at
high speed, Professor Yu favors device concepts that allow massive integration of semiconductor waveguide components on the same
substrate. Under this project, Dr. Yu's team will develop two technologies -- multifunction waveguide modulators and photodetectors --
using inner stepbarrier quantum well (IQW) and peripheral coupled waveguide (PCW) technologies. The goal will be to bring them to
manufacturable stage, with the vision of developing efficient electro-optic modulation components based upon semiconductor materials
and processing technology using the new approaches. Yu anticipates a broad application of these technologies in the next generation
of optical networks.
