The UC Santa Cruz Office of Research has created the Inventor Recognition Program (IRP) to acknowledge researchers on a quarterly basis for their U.S. patent awards and to showcase the groundbreaking research that is conducted on the UCSC campus every day. Launched in December 2016, the IRP is meant to recognize the hard work of UCSC faculty, students, and staff and to help them realize the value of their inventions by commercializing their inventions and discoveries.

July to September 2018 IRP Award Winner

PIERICIDIN BACTERIAL INHIBITORS

Patent Numbers: US 10,080,745

Current UCSC Inventors: Victoria Auerbuch Stone, Associate Professor Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology 
Other Inventors: Roger Linington; Eng Ruh Wong; Miles Duncan

The bacterial type III secretion system is a needle-like apparatus used by many Gram-negative pathogens like Salmonella, Yersinia, and Pseudomonas to inject toxins into a host cell to facilitate infection. This patent describes using a small molecule compound called Piericidin and a derivative of it called Mer-A 2062B to inhibit the type III secretion system.

DISTRIBUTED LC RESONANT TANK CLOCK TREE SYNTHESIS

Patent Numbers: US 10,073,937

Current UCSC Inventors: Matthew Guthaus, Professor Computer Engineering

Power consumption is the single most limiting factor in many devices. This invention reduces power consumption, increases device performance, and lengthens battery life for many such devices by design improvements to those chips. It does so by an iterative placement of electronic ballasts that balance the clock network electronic characteristics.

SALT-TOLERANT DNA POLYMERASES

Patent Numbers: US 10,059,984

Current UCSC Inventors: David Bernick, Assistant Adjunct Professor Biomolecular Engineering
Other Inventors: Andrew Holmes; Jeff Nivala

This patent describes a method of artificially synthesizing DNA (e.g. via polymerase chain reaction - PCR), or as a motor to translocate a strand of DNA using a DNA polymerase enzyme that works in high salt conditions, such as a solution with an  halide concentration greater than 5%. The polymerases used in the methods were initially purified from a collection (metagenome) of archaeal and bacterial cells that live in high-salt conditions, enriched for the viruses that infect them.

Honorary Mentions

Patent(s) Issued as Continuation of Patent Previously Recognized

NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCING USING AND ARRAY OF INDEPENDENTLY ADDRESSABLE NANOPORES

Patent Numbers: US 10,081,835

Current UCSC Inventors: Mark Akeson, Professor; David Deamer, Professor 
Other Inventors: Bill Dunbar; Roger Chen; Noah Wilson

METHOD FOR USING A NANOPORE

Patent Numbers: US 10,059,988

Current UCSC Inventors: Mark Akeson, Professor; David Deamer, Professor; Kathy Lieberman, Project Scientist; Robin Abu-Shumays, Research Associate
Other Inventors: Seico Benner; Bill Dunbar; Noah Wilson; Nicholas Hurt

COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS EMPLOYING WOLBACHIA FTSZ AS A TARGET FOR ALBENDAZOLE SULFONE

Patent Numbers: US 10,028,936

Current UCSC Inventors: Bill Sullivan, Professor 
Other Inventors: Laura Serbus; Fredric  Landmann; Catharina Lindley; Pamela White

See all IRP award winners

The IRP is managed by Assistant Vice Chancellor for the Office of Research’s Industry Alliances and Technology Commercialization (IATC), Dr. Mohamed Abousalem. 

For more information about the IRP, the honorees, their patents, other campus inventions and discoveries, or IP portfolio management services, please contact the IATC.

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