Patents by Inventor Robert W. McClellan

Robert W. McClellan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12415981
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide an automated method and system to isolate and collect cells using computerized analysis of images of cells and their surroundings obtained from a digital imaging device or system. Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter make use of a “microwell array,” which can comprise a formed, elastomeric grid of indentations or “wells.” Many, most, or all of the wells in a microwell array can contain a releasable, microfabricated element, which can be referred to as a “raft.” Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide a system and method for cell collection that includes computerized identification and collection of rafts with isolated single cells or a specific group or groups of cells, eliminating the need for continuous human identification and selection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2025
    Assignees: Cell Microsystems, Inc, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Steven C. Gebhart, Robert W. McClellan, Nicholas C. Trotta, Nancy L. Allbritton, Peter Joseph Attayek, Paul Michael Armistead
  • Publication number: 20240360400
    Abstract: A microwell array specifically designed for culturing organoids is provided along with a system to enable automated imaging, identification, and isolation of individual organoids. The microwells of the microarray include a releasable cellraft that enables the automated release and transfer of selected organoids present on the cellrafts to a separate collection plate. Organoids grown on the microarray can be reliably tracked, imaged, and phenotypically analyzed by the instrument system in brightfield and fluorescence as they grow over time, then released and transferred fully intact for use in downstream applications. The use of the system is demonstrated using mouse hepatic and pancreatic organoids for single-organoid imaging, clonal organoid generation, parent organoid subcloning, and single-organoid RNA extraction for downstream gene expression or transcriptomic analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Inventors: Rachel Allysa STERN, Jessica Kessler HARTMAN, Steven Charles GEBHART, Caleb Macrae FLEMING, Brandon THOMPSON, Keith WILLIAMS, Robert W. MCCLELLAN
  • Publication number: 20240320992
    Abstract: A microwell array specifically designed for culturing organoids is provided along with a system to enable automated imaging, identification, and isolation of individual organoids. The microwells of the microarray include a releasable cellraft that enables the automated release and transfer of selected organoids present on the cellrafts to a separate collection plate. Organoids grown on the microarray can be reliably tracked, imaged, and phenotypically analyzed by the instrument system in brightfield and fluorescence as they grow over time, then released and transferred fully intact for use in downstream applications. The use of the system is demonstrated using mouse hepatic and pancreatic organoids for single-organoid imaging, clonal organoid generation, parent organoid subcloning, and single-organoid RNA extraction for downstream gene expression or transcriptomic analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2024
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventors: Rachel Allysa STERN, Jessica Kessler HARTMAN, Steven Charles GEBHART, Caleb Macrae FLEMING, Brandon THOMPSON, Keith WILLIAMS, Robert W. MCCLELLAN
  • Publication number: 20200080046
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide an automated method and system to isolate and collect cells using computerized analysis of images of cells and their surroundings obtained from a digital imaging device or system. Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter make use of a “microwell array,” which can comprise a formed, elastomeric grid of indentations or “wells.” Many, most, or all of the wells in a microwell array can contain a releasable, microfabricated element, which can be referred to as a “raft.” Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide a system and method for cell collection that includes computerized identification and collection of rafts with isolated single cells or a specific group or groups of cells, eliminating the need for continuous human identification and selection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Steven C. Gebhart, Robert W. McClellan, Nicholas C. Trotta, Nancy L. Allbritton, Peter Joseph Attayek, Paul Michael Armistead
  • Publication number: 20190256817
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide an automated method and system to isolate and collect cells using computerized analysis of images of cells and their surroundings obtained from a digital imaging device or system. Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter make use of a “microwell array,” which can comprise a formed, elastomeric grid of indentations or “wells.” Many, most, or all of the wells in a microwell array can contain a releasable, microfabricated element, which can be referred to as a “raft.” Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide a system and method for cell collection that includes computerized identification and collection of rafts with isolated single cells or a specific group or groups of cells, eliminating the need for continuous human identification and selection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicants: Cell Microsystems, Inc., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Steven C. Gebhart, Robert W. McClellan, Nicholas C. Trotta, Nancy L. Allbritton, Peter Joseph Attayek, Paul Michael Armistead