Faculty-Fostered Innovations
New technologies and techniques are emerging from SDSU labs with applications in pharmaceuticals and materials manufacturing
By Sarah White and Taylor Slane
Chemical connections
Detecting genetic sequences and delivering drugs to cancer cells will be more accurate, thanks to techniques patented by SDSU biochemists.
The human genome is made up of more than 3 billion genetic letters. Small changes in this genetic sequence explain parts of human health, including diseases like sickle cell and some types of cancer. Identifying single changes in DNA or RNA typically involves expensive and time-consuming amplification and analysis.
Precise and immediate pinpointing is possible using chemically modified, fluorescent DNA probes designed by SDSU organic chemist Byron Purse and his students. These probes bind to snippets of DNA or RNA and emit fluorescent light in response to a perfect match.
“We’re developing applications of these probes for the rapid identification of specific genetic material in complex biological samples and for monitoring changes in genetic information,” Purse said.
Cancer drugs often have negative side effects because they destroy tumors and healthy cells. To create better pharmaceuticals that specifically bind to cancer-causing proteins, chemist Jeff Gustafson is leveraging how readily atoms rotate around bonds within a chemical compound.
He and his team of student researchers have patented methods to synthesize and study molecules that are in a particular orientation instead of another. With more molecules in the preferred orientation, the less likely future patients are to experience undesirable symptoms of treatment.
Smarter safety gear
SDSU mechanical engineers are creating new materials to protect senior citizens and athletes alike.
A lightweight bone found in squid-like cuttlefish inspired engineering professors Yang Yang and Wenwu Xu to make wearable devices with self-healing properties.
Along with doctoral students Qingqing He and Runjian Jiang and other collaborators, they replicated the cuttlefish bone structure and included salts that conduct electricity when force is applied. The conductive salts enable the addition of wireless sensors that can detect rapid movement or impact. Any potential cracks in the structures can be healed within half a day by adding more of the novel material in liquid form, reducing waste compared to traditional ceramics.
The researchers can shape this 3D-printed composite material into a personalized kneepad that activates an alert if the wearer falls. The researchers’ next step is to work with a National Football League partner company to adapt this material into concussion-sensing helmets.
From head to toe, mechanical engineer George Youssef’s patented low-density foam has the potential to make safer helmets and athletic shoes because it absorbs more impact than commercially available options. Manufacturing his foam also requires less energy and more readily enables custom and complex shapes.