Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide nucleic acid constructs and methods of use thereof that induce a live cell to give off sub-samples of the cell's cytosolic content. The tem “cell” as used herein may be any cell type. In certain example embodiments, the cells are mammalian cells. The sampling can be general or can be targeted to a particular class of molecules or to specific types of molecules. The constructs facilitate generation of a read-out for high-throughput screens by combining engineered export with simple bulk sample and sample processing. Live cell sampling enables time course measurements and expands, for example, the applicability of transcriptional profiles obtained by single cell gene expression analysis.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 16, 2016
Date of Patent:
August 13, 2024
Assignees:
THE BROAD INSTITUTE, INC., MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Abstract: Self-righting articles, such as self-righting capsules for administration to a subject, are generally provided. In some embodiments, the self-righting article may be configured such that the article may orient itself relative to a surface (e.g., a surface of a tissue of a subject). The self-righting articles described herein may comprise one 5 or more tissue engaging surfaces configured to engage (e.g., interface with, inject into, anchor) with a surface (e.g., a surface of a tissue of a subject). In some embodiments, the self-righting article may have a particular shape and/or distribution of density (or mass) which, for example, enables the self-righting behavior of the article. In certain embodiments, the self-righting article a tissue 10 interfacing components. In some embodiments, each tissue-interfacing component may comprise an electrically-conductive portion configured for electrical communication with tissue and an insulative portion configured to not be in electrical communication with tissue.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 27, 2021
Date of Patent:
August 13, 2024
Assignees:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.
Inventors:
Robert S. Langer, Carlo Giovanni Traverso, Alex G. Abramson, David Dellal
Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to processes for forming or otherwise creating a transparent, conductive film from a heavy hydrocarbon material. It allows for what is often considered to be waste material to be transformed into a useful product, such as a heating element. Such heating elements can be incorporated into many contexts where it can be important to have transparency and/or a thin heating element, such as in windshields. The process involves dissolving a heavy hydrocarbon material in a solvent, casting the heavy hydrocarbon solution that results from the dissolving onto a substrate to form a film, and then annealing the film. The disclosure also provides for objects in which such resulting films can be used, such as Joule heaters.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 15, 2020
Date of Patent:
August 13, 2024
Assignees:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company
Abstract: A method for diagnosing cancer in an expanded biological tissue sample of a patient comprising providing at least one sample image of the expanded biological tissue sample; providing a computer configured to analyze the sample; analyzing, with the computer, the sample detect and segment nuclei; calculating, with the computer, molecular characteristics of those nuclei; and determining, with the computer, a diagnosis of cancer of the sample by comparing the sample with a benign normal tissue reference.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 15, 2019
Date of Patent:
August 13, 2024
Assignees:
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center, Inc
Inventors:
Edward Stuart Boyden, Andrew Hanno Beck, Yongxin Zhao, Octavian Bucur, Humayun Irshad
Abstract: Embodiments described herein may be useful in the detection of analytes. The systems and methods may allow for a relatively simple and rapid way for detecting analytes such as chemical and/or biological analytes and may be useful in numerous applications including sensing, food manufacturing, medical diagnostics, performance materials, dynamic lenses, water monitoring, environmental monitoring, detection of proteins, detection of DNA, among other applications. For example, the systems and methods described herein may be used for determining the presence of a contaminant such as bacteria (e.g., detecting pathogenic bacteria in food and water samples which helps to prevent widespread infection, illness, and even death). Advantageously, the systems and methods described herein may not have the drawbacks in current detection technologies including, for example, relatively high costs, long enrichment steps and analysis times, and/or the need for extensive user training.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 8, 2021
Date of Patent:
August 13, 2024
Assignee:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Timothy Manning Swager, Hadley Sikes Johnson, Qifan Zhang, Eric Alexander Miller, Lukas Zeininger, Ki-Joo Sung, Kosuke Yoshinaga
Abstract: Compositions of retroviruses and methods of using the same for gene delivery, wherein the retroviruses comprise a viral envelope protein comprising at least one mutation that diminishes its native function, a non-viral membrane-bound protein comprising a membrane-bound domain and an extracellular targeting domain.
Abstract: The invention provides ultrasensitive methods for detection and quantification of target analytes in samples. The methods can be multiplexed to allow simultaneous detection and quantification of multiple target analytes. The methods can achieve an attomolar limit of detection. The invention also provides related compositions and kits.
Type:
Application
Filed:
March 27, 2024
Publication date:
August 8, 2024
Applicants:
President and Fellows of Harvard College, The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
David R. Walt, Connie Wu, Richard Novak, Tyler Dougan, Rushdy Ahmad
Abstract: The invention, in part, includes methods of single molecule protein sequencing that include using weak binding spectra in the amino acid identification.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 17, 2024
Publication date:
August 8, 2024
Applicant:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Edward BOYDEN, Adam Henry MARBLESTONE, Samuel Gordon RODRIQUES
Abstract: Femto-satellites are very small satellites that can be deployed in constellations from a larger mothership satellite for distributed measurement. They are too small to accommodate the GNSS receivers that many satellites use for navigation, but they can be located with an electromagnetic beam from the mothership satellite. The mothership satellite scans this beam across a constellation of femto-satellites. When the beam scans across a particular femto-satellite, the femto-satellite transmits an acknowledgement to the mothership satellite, e.g., by retroreflecting the beam or via a separate radio link. The beam can be modulated with commands for the femto-satellite, such as to make a measurement or transmit previously acquired data, as well with commands for determining the femto-satellite's location, such as a time stamp or beam pointing information.
Type:
Application
Filed:
May 3, 2022
Publication date:
August 8, 2024
Applicant:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Kerri Cahoy, Christian Haughwout, Paul Serra, Ruonan HAN, Anantha CHANDRAKASAN
Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for delivery of therapeutic agents across an barrier. The compositions include a therapeutic agent (e.g., antimicrobial agent, antibiotic, or anesthetic agent), a permeation enhancer which increases the flux of the therapeutic agent across the barrier, and a matrix forming agent. The matrix forming agent forms a gel at a suitable gelation temperature and rheological properties for use in drug delivery, and in some cases, the gelation temperature and rheological properties are not significantly changed from those of the composition without the permeation enhancer. The invention also provides a matrix forming agent and compositions thereof. Such compositions are particularly useful in the treatment of otitis media. Methods of treatment, methods of delivery, and kits for the compositions described herein are also provided.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 23, 2021
Date of Patent:
August 6, 2024
Assignees:
Children's Medical Center Corporation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Daniel S. Kohane, Rong Yang, Lily Yun Lin
Abstract: Provided herein are methods for screening biological functions of microscale biological systems comprises segregating each microscale biological system from a set of microscale biological systems to be screened into individual discrete volumes, the individual discrete volume comprising a first polymer. The first polymer is then forced or allowed to polymerize to form a set of polymerized beads that encapsulate an individual microscale biological system. The polymerized beads are further encapsulated in a second droplet comprising a second polymer and one or more reporter elements. The reporter elements are configured to produce a readout upon detecting the absence or presence of a biological function to be screened. The second polymer is then forced or allowed to polymerize to form an outer capsule around each individual bead thereby forming a set of encapsulated beads. One or more biological functions of the double-encapsulated system are identified by detecting the readout of the reporters.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 13, 2018
Date of Patent:
August 6, 2024
Assignees:
THE BROAD INSTITUTE, INC., MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Abstract: The present disclosure describes functional oligomers or functional polymers. The functional oligomers or functional polymers may contain functional groups, e.g., —OH and/or —CHO. The functional oligomers or functional polymers may be obtained from hydrolyzing certain copolymers and may be soluble in commercially available solvents. The copolymers may be thermosetting polymers. The functional oligomers and functional polymers may be useful for recycling thermosetting polymers and may be useful as starting materials for preparing additional oligomers or polymers.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 15, 2020
Date of Patent:
August 6, 2024
Assignee:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Jeremiah A. Johnson, Wenxu Zhang, Peyton Shieh, Keith Husted
Abstract: A Streptococcus canis Cas9 (ScCas9) ortholog and its engineered variants, possessing novel PAM specificity, is an addition to the family of CRISPR-Cas9 systems. ScCas9 endonuclease is used in complex with guide RNA, consisting of identical non-target-specific sequence to that of the guide RNA SpCas9, for specific recognition and activity on a DNA target immediately upstream of either an “NNGT” or “NNNGT” PAM sequence. A novel DNA-interacting loop domain within ScCas9, and other Cas9 orthologs, such as those from Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus angionosis facilitates a divergent PAM sequence from the “NGG” PAM of SpCas9.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 28, 2022
Date of Patent:
August 6, 2024
Assignee:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Joseph M. Jacobson, Noah Michael Jakimo, Pranam Chatterjee
Abstract: An adhesive material that provides fast and robust adhesion on wet surfaces, where the adhesion formed is detachable on-demand. The adhesive material is formed of one or more hydrophilic polymers or copolymers grafted with one or more amine coupling groups via a plurality of cleavable physical bonds and/or cleavable covalent bonds and one or more cross linkers. Application of the adhesive material on a wet surface causes the adhesive material to absorb liquid to thereby swell the adhesive material to form a layer of hydrogel, resulting in the formation of temporary crosslinks followed by covalent crosslinks with the surface. Introducing a triggering agent cleaves the cleavable physical bonds and/or cleavable covalent bonds to allow for non-traumatic detachment of the adhesive material from the surface.
Abstract: In general, the present invention is directed to materials that when in use resist fouling on their surfaces. Such materials may be used in the construction of various process equipment having surfaces exposed to a given fluid that contains a foulant or chemical substance that may deposit on, or adhere to, the surface and thereafter continue to grow on the surface resulting in deteriorated performance of the equipment and process. The materials are specifically selected using a method that takes into account the dielectric spectra of the fluid to which the surface is exposed and the surface itself. It has been unexpectedly found that if the dielectric spectra of the surface and the fluid are matched to within relative agreement, there should be no adhesion of the foulant on the surface. In some embodiments, the dielectric spectra to be matched include the intrinsic indexes of refraction.
Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for profiling spatiotemporal gene expression, including methods for profiling spatiotemporal gene expression in vivo in a subject. The present disclosure also provides methods for profiling the role of post-transcriptional modification in spatiotemporal gene expression, methods for studying the role of spatiotemporal gene expression in the development or progression of a disease or disorder, methods for screening for an agent capable of modulating spatiotemporal gene expression, methods for diagnosing a disease or disorder in a subject, and methods for treating a disease or disorder in a subject. Oligonucleotide probes useful in the methods described herein are also provided by the present disclosure. The present disclosure also provide kits comprising the oligonucleotide probes disclosed herein. Systems for profiling spatiotemporal gene expression are also provided by the present disclosure.
Type:
Application
Filed:
May 6, 2022
Publication date:
August 1, 2024
Applicants:
The Broad Institute, Inc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract: Described herein is a retroreflective underwater backscatter node comprising a receiver that receives an incoming acoustic signal from a first direction; a reflector that reflects back an incoming acoustic signal in a second direction; and a modulator coupled to the reflector to modulate the reflected incoming acoustic signal as a back-scattered signal. In some embodiments, the first direction and second direction are substantially the same such that the retroreflective underwater backscatter node retro-directs an incoming acoustic signal as a back-scattered signal and incoming and back-scattered acoustic signals propagate in the same but substantially opposite directions.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 26, 2024
Publication date:
August 1, 2024
Applicant:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Inventors:
Fadel ADIB, Waleed AKBAR, Aline EID, John Clayton RADEMACHER, JR., Purui WANG
Abstract: Systems and methods for hybrid integration of ultra-low loss waveguide photonic circuits with various efficient on-chip elements are described. The photonic circuits can integrate various elements including (but not limited to): gain, modulation, detection, and nonlinear optical elements. The integrated photonic chips can be manufactured in a flexible, reconfigurable, 3D heterogeneous platform. The integrated photonic chips can cover wavelength ranges from the visible wavelength to infrared wavelength.
Type:
Application
Filed:
December 21, 2023
Publication date:
August 1, 2024
Applicants:
The Regents of the University of California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
Inventors:
Daniel J. Blumenthal, Matt Eichenfield, Dirk Englund, Mikkel Heuck