[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 165 (Monday, August 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58590-58591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18438]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The invention listed below is owned by an agency of the U.S. 
Government and is available for licensing to achieve expeditious 
commercialization of results of federally-funded research and 
development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Licensing information may be obtained 
by communicating with Vidita Choudhry, Ph.D., Office of Technology 
Transfer and Development, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 31 
Center Drive Room 4A29, MSC2479, Bethesda, MD 20892-2479; telephone: 
301-594-4095; email: [email protected]. A signed Confidential 
Disclosure Agreement may be required to receive any unpublished 
information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.

Apparatus for Cryogenic-Electron Microscopy Sample Preparation

    Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) is used to obtain high-
resolution structural images of macromolecular structures. Samples must 
be purified and loaded onto cryo-EM grids before imaging. The ideal 
cryo-EM grid consists of particles that are evenly and richly 
distributed in a broad distribution of orientations throughout the 
holes of the support film. Current techniques to prepare cryo-EM grids 
are performed manually and require trial and error, resulting in a 
bottleneck in cryo-EM workflows.
    Researchers have developed a device and method for time-resolved 
preparation of liquid samples for cryo-EM experiments. In particular, 
the mixing and dispensation of liquid samples is achieved by electrical 
signals that are transduced into specific acoustic frequencies to mix 
the liquid samples (low frequency) and then dispense the mixture (high 
frequency) in small, nanoliter volumes onto a cryo-EM grid. This novel 
apparatus and method provides more precise control over liquid sample 
mixing and dispensing, and improved dispensation of the mixture onto 
the EM grid. Also, the improved quality of captured images of 
homogeneous macromolecular structures is achieved due to a uniformly 
mixed and dispensed sample on the EM grid. This allows electrons to be 
transmitted through the very thin liquid film in the holes of the cryo-
EM grid to form an image.

Potential Commercial Applications

     Automation of cryo-EM experiments aimed at Structure-based 
Drug Design by examining macromolecular structure and its interactions 
with ligands.
     Kits with hardware and software components to setup 
robotic automation of cryo-EM sample preparation, dispensation, 
plunging and storage.

Competitive Advantages

     Automated workflow eliminates the guesswork out of cryo-EM 
sample preparation.
     Increases sample prep success rate and decreases the need 
to screen repeated trials.
     Using acoustic-based, multiple-sample mixing enables 
homogeneous mixing and facilitates the observation of transient 
molecular interactions with high time resolution.
     Python code is available for command and control of a 
robot that manipulates the cryo-EM grid.

[[Page 58591]]

Development Stage

     Prototype.

Inventors

    Venkata M. Dandey (NIEHS), Mario J. Borgnia (NIEHS), Wyatt Peele 
(NIEHS), Tony J. Huang (Duke), and Kaichun Yang (Duke).

Intellectual Property

    HHS Reference No. E-184-2023-0; U.S Provisional Patent Application 
63/472,113 filed June 09, 2023.

Licensing Contact

    Vidita Choudhry, Ph.D.; 301-594-4095; [email protected]. This 
notice is made in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404.

    Dated: August 22, 2023.
Vidita Choudhry,
Senior Technology Transfer Manager, National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development.
[FR Doc. 2023-18438 Filed 8-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P