[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 140 (Friday, July 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42310-42311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14512]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Government Owned Inventions Available for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

SUMMARY: The inventions listed below are owned in whole by the U.S. 
Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce. The 
inventions are available for licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 
and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results 
of federally funded research and development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical and licensing information on 
these inventions may be obtained by writing to: National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, Attn: Mary 
Clague, Building 820, Room 213, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Information is 
also available via telephone: 301-975-4188, fax 301-869-2751, or e-
mail: [email protected]. Any request for information should include 
the NIST Docket number and title for the invention as indicated below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST may enter into a Cooperative Research 
and Development Agreement (``CRADA'') with the licensee to perform 
further research on the invention for purposes of commercialization. 
The inventions available for licensing are:

[NIST Docket Number: 01-011US]

    Title: Surface Charge Modification Within Preformed Polymer 
Microchannels with Multiple Applications Including Modulating 
Electroosmotic Flow And Creating Microarrays.
    Abstract: A laser was used to modify the charge on the surface(s) 
of a preformed polymeric microchannel (e.g. imprinted, embossed, 
injection molded, ablated, etc.). It is shown that the fluid flow 
induced by an electric field applied along the length of the channel 
increases in velocity in the regions that have been exposed to the 
laser, therefore indicating a change in the surface charge. 
Furthermore, the laser can be used to create well-defined spots within 
the channel that have a higher surface charge than the surrounding 
material. These spots have been shown to selectively bind proteins in a 
linear or 2-dimensional microarray pattern.

[NIST Docket Number: 01-029CIP1]

    Title: Mixing Reactions by Temperature Gradient Focusing.
    Abstract: The invention provides a variant of temperature gradient 
focusing that involves analyte-ligand interactions occurring as a 
result of focusing one (either analyte or the ligand) and allowing 
interactions with the other to occur within the ``focus space.'' The 
interaction can be between biological molecules or other chemical 
species. Moving the focused ``product'' through the temperature 
gradient after mixing allows additional information to be inferred if 
the assay displays a physical property change such as melting or 
precipitation.

[NIST Docket Number: 01-029CIP2]

    Title: Chiral Temperature Gradient Focusing.
    Abstract: The invention provides a variant of temperature gradient 
focusing that uses chirally selective additives to modify the 
electrophoretic mobility of analytes thereby providing a method for 
focusing and separation of analytes based on their chirality.

[NIST Docket Number: 01-034US]

    Title: Microfluidic Flow Manipulation Device.
    Abstract: The invention relates to a new method of mixing or 
splitting streams in a microchannel. A pre-formed imprinted T-channel 
is modified by a pulsed UV-excimer laser to create a series of slanted 
wells at the junction. The presence of the wells leads to a high degree 
of lateral transport within the channel. The later transport provides 
rapid mixing of two confluent streams undergoing electroosmotic flow.

[NIST Docket Number: 03-008US]

    Title: Micellar Gradient Focusing.
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for focusing 
(concentrations and/or separation) based upon affinity of an analyte 
for a pseudostationary phase such as a micellar phase. The method works 
by creating a gradient in the capacity factor of the solute of interest 
to the micellar phase in the channel. The solute has an inherent 
electrophoretic mobility when free in solution. When interacting with 
the micelles, the solute assumes the electrophoretic mobility of the 
micelle. On one side of the gradient, the solutes strongly interact 
with the micelles and have a net mobility dominated by that of the 
micelles. On the other side of the gradient, the capacity factor is low 
and the solute assumes its native electrophoretic mobility. If the 
micelles are charged, a combination of electrokinetic and pressure-
driven flow can be applied so that the micelles and the mobile phase 
move in opposite directions. Conversely, the focusing can be performed 
with a neutral surfactant if the analyte is changed and made to migrate 
in the opposite direction of the mobile phase. Under these conditions, 
the analyte can be made to focus at a point along the micellar 
gradient. Different analytes with different affinities for the micellar 
phase (or different electrophoretic mobilities) will focus at different 
points. The method provides a focusing equivalent of micellar 
electrokinetic chromatography.

[NIST Docket Number: 03-016/04-002US]

    Title: A Direct Procedure For Classifying Image Smoothness Based on 
Singular Integral Operators And Fast Fourier Transform Algorithm.s
    Abstract: This invention provides a class of new image deblurring 
procedures. These procedures are based on a reformulation of the image 
deblurring problem in which Lipschitz (Besov) spaces are used to 
calibrate the lack of smoothness in the unknown desire sharp image.

[NIST Docket Number: 04-016US]

    Title: Microfluidic Platform of Arrayed Switchable Spin-Valve 
Elements for High-Throughput Sorting and Manipulation of Magnetic 
Particles and Biomelecules.
    Abstract: The invention presents a microfluidic platform that 
incorporates an array of spin-valve elements to selectively trap, 
manipulate and release magnetic particles with high throughput and 
specificity. The array of spin-valve elements can exist in a 
ferromagnetic ``on'' state, thereby acting like mini bar magnets with 
local magnetic fields. The magnetic field gradients provide the 
trapping field to confine the magnetic particles. The spin-valve 
element can be turned to the antiferromagnetic ``off'' state where they 
no longer produce a local magnetic field. In the absence of the local 
magnetic field, the magnetic particles are released from the trap. The 
platform consists of a membrane that can separate the traps from the 
magnetic particle fluid, or it is possible to have the magnetic 
particle fluid on the same side of the traps. The ``on/off'' magnetic 
characteristic of these elements make it possible to apply an external 
global magnetic field to rotate the magnetic particles while they are 
confined by the spin-valve elements.


[[Page 42311]]


    Dated: July 15, 2005.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 05-14512 Filed 7-21-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P