AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University researchers will use
grants of state money to develop an instrument that reveals single
molecules, test technology that can detect food contamination,
design taller wind turbine towers and advance seven other projects
with potential to grow the state’s economy.
The state Board of Regents recently approved Iowa State’s
proposal to award 10 competitive grants totaling $942,389 from Iowa
State’s $1.459 million share of this year’s Grow Iowa Values Fund.
Iowa State has awarded the grants since 2006 to research projects
with potential for commercial development.
“These grants are part of Iowa State’s System for Innovation
program that’s focused on transferring university technologies to
startup or existing companies,” said Sharron Quisenberry, Iowa
State’s vice president for research and economic development. “This
system recognizes that the fuel for transferring university
technology to the Iowa economy is faculty and staff research.”
The largest grant in this year’s competition, $120,075, was
awarded to Sanjeevi Sivasankar, an Iowa State assistant professor
of physics and astronomy and an associate of the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Ames Laboratory. He’ll work with Novascan Technologies
Inc. of Ames to commercialize a new instrument that improves the
study of single biological molecules.
As a post-doctoral researcher at Stanford University and the
University of California, Berkeley, Sivasankar worked with Steven
Chu, the current U.S. Secretary of Energy and co-winner of the 1997
Nobel Prize in Physics, to develop and build a single-molecule
microscope. Supported by startup research funds from Iowa State,
Sivasankar’s laboratory has significantly refined the instrument by
increasing its measurement capabilities, efficiency and ease of
use. The instrument integrates two single-molecule technologies
that have been used separately: atomic force microscope technology
that manipulates molecules and measures forces; and fluorescence
resonance energy transfer technology that observes single molecules
at very high resolution.
Using one or the other technology is like “having hands but no
eyes or eyes but no hands,” said Sivasankar. “We can combine these
two technologies into one instrument.”
That makes a big difference in biological studies, Sivasankar
said. Typically, biologists study samples made up of thousands of
molecules. The resulting data describes the average molecule in the
sample. He said the new instrument can reveal the individual
characteristics of a molecule.
Sivasankar, who has been working to refine a prototype of the
instrument, said the microscope is very useful in his own studies
of how the cells of the body bind and organize themselves. He said
the instrument could also be a powerful tool in biomedical
research, drug discovery, cancer diagnostics and bio-sensing
applications.
The other Iowa State projects to win 2010 grants from the Grow
Iowa Values Fund are:
- $117,944 to Ayman Fayed, assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering. He’ll work with Rockwell Collins Inc. to
develop switching power regulators that are appropriate for
sensitive, portable communication and navigation devices. The new
regulators would replace inefficient components and could double
the battery life of the devices. - $109,243 to Vasant Honavar, professor of computer science and
director of Iowa State’s Center for Computational Intelligence,
Learning and Discovery. He’ll work with Collaborative Health
Solutions LLC of Austin, Texas, to develop advanced algorithms and
software tools for computer applications that can improve the
quality and reduce the cost of health care. - $109,000 to Sri Sritharan, Wilson Engineering Professor of
Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. He’ll work with
Iowa Prestressed Concrete of Des Moines, Clipper Windpower Inc. of
Carpinteria, Calif., and Lafarge North America of Herndon, Va., to
develop and test his concept of using ultra high performance
concrete to build taller towers for wind turbines. Taller towers
allow turbines to reduce wind energy cost while increasing their
production of electricity. - $106,961 to Byron Brehm-Stecher, an assistant professor of food
science and human nutrition. He’s working with Advanced Analytical
Inc. of Ames to study how an instrument developed by the company
can be used to quickly detect foodborne pathogens and increase food
safety. - $99,883 to Rick Sharp, professor of kinesiology and director of
Iowa State’s Kinesiology Laboratories. He’ll work with Metabolic
Technologies Inc. of Ames to develop a new gel system to deliver
HMB, a dietary supplement that can reduce muscle damage and
inflammatory response after exercise while promoting muscle
recovery. - $83,000 to Patrick Halbur, professor and chair of veterinary
diagnostic and production animal medicine and executive director of
Iowa State’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; James West, director
of food supply veterinary medicine; Marianna Jahnke, a research
associate in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine;
Paul Plummer, assistant professor of veterinary diagnostic and
production animal medicine; Rodger Main, director of operations for
the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; and Vickie Cooper, a senior
clinician for veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine.
They’ll work with the Ames Center for Genetic Technologies to
develop a genetic test of cattle embryos for inherited diseases and
other traits. - $78,305 to Hui Hu, an associate professor of aerospace
engineering. He’ll work with the Goodrich Engine Components
Division of West Des Moines to develop advanced diagnostic
techniques to quantify spray characteristics that will help develop
the next generation of fuel nozzles for gas turbine engines.
Improving fuel nozzles will allow better fuel efficiency and fewer
emissions while maintaining operation requirements. - $77,388 to Suraj Kothari, professor of electrical and computer
engineering. He’ll work with EnSoft Corp. of Ames to develop new
technology that quickly tests the reliability of software used in
the transportation control systems of cars and planes. - $40,590 to Diane Janvrin, associate professor of accounting;
Mike Upah, manager of business development for Iowa State’s
Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship; and Sanjeev Agarwal, a
professor of marketing. They’ll work with WebFilings LLC of Ames
and Los Altos, Calif., to research potential markets for the
company’s software that helps businesses complete reports for the
Securities and Exchange Commission.