The U.S./Ireland Emerging Technologies Conference
On October 19 and 20, 2009 the University of Massachusetts Lowell hosted the first U.S./Ireland Emerging Technologies Conference. It was held at the University of Massachusetts Inn and Conference Center.
This exciting joint conference was host to six Professors from Queens University in Belfast, North Ireland; five Professors from Dublin City University Ireland and twelve Professors from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The UMass Lowell contingent included members from four colleges and three centers. These Professors presented their research in the area of Biopharmaceuticals and Bioprocessing, Medical Devices, Nano/Biosensors and Nanomanufacturing.
Below are some of the many presentations that were presented at the Emerging Technologies Conference. Please click on the titles to download these presentations. The presentations are either in power point or pdf format.
Developing Immunoassays for Bioprocess Analysis and Diagnostics
Richard O’Kennedy, Professor of Biotechnology and Vice-President for Learning Innovation, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland.
Antibodies are ideal reagents for use in assay development and genetic engineering facilitates optimisation of their performance characteristics in terms of specificity, sensitivity, structural format, stability and immobilization. Their generation and potential applications in a range of diagnostic and process-related analyses using sensors and other platforms will be described.
Better Enzymes for Biosensors
Ciarán Fagan, School of Biotechnology and National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Ireland
Enzymes have many uses but their scope is limited by protein instability. We have performed chemical modification (CM) and genetic manipulation (GM) on the widely-used horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The lecture will show how these have led to more stable forms HRP. Biosensor-relevant improvements to HRP and another peroxidase will also be described.
Supercritical Fluid Assisted Processing of Polymers for Medical Use
Peter Hornsby, Queens’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Supercritical carbon dioxide can exert a strong transient plasticizing effect to many polymers during melt processing resulting in decreased viscosity, thereby providing an opportunity to reduce processing temperatures or limit mechanical damage to the material. The application of this approach will be discussed with reference to extrusion technology and the processing benefits achievable, including its use with inherently thermally unstable polymers and modifying additives used for medical purposes.
Novel Biosensor Platforms for Medical Diagnostics
Brian D. MacCraith, Director, Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (BDI), Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
In the coming decades, innovative biosensors will play an increasingly important role in the area of healthcare in both the developed and developing world. These devices will often be disposable and will rely on the integration of recent developments in a range of sciences and technologies, such as nanotechnology, microfluidics (lab-on-a-chip) and photonics. This presentation will discuss emerging strategies that will yield substantial enhancements in the analytical performance of optical biochip platforms, especially for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic applications.
Processing and Performance of Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites: Implications and Performance in Medical Devices and Packaging
Dr. Eileen Harkin-Jones, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
The processability of polymers can be significantly altered by the presence of nanoclay while the complex deformation and thermal regimes in industrial processes have an important influence on polymer-clay structuring and performance. In this presentation these aspects of polymer-clay nanocomposites processing will be examined and possibilities for tailored structuring in devices and packaging will be examined.
On-Line Monitoring of Nanocomposite/Biomaterial Compounding for Process Optimisation
Dr. Marion McAfee, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Interest in nanocomposites has grown exponentially over the past decade, however, several years and much research effort later and there are as yet few commercial applications of nanocomposite polymers worldwide. It is known that processing conditions play a major role in successful nanocomposite production but there is little agreement amongst researchers on the relative effects of various processing conditions on factors such as clay dispersion. This presentation will cover novel methods for on-line monitoring of nanocomposite compounding which can be used for better fundamental understanding of the process and ultimately achieve greater optimisation and consistency of nanocomposite quality. Applications of such sensors in monitoring processing of degradation-prone biomaterials will also be discussed.
This exciting joint conference was host to six Professors from Queens University in Belfast, North Ireland; five Professors from Dublin City University Ireland and twelve Professors from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The UMass Lowell contingent included members from four colleges and three centers. These Professors presented their research in the area of Biopharmaceuticals and Bioprocessing, Medical Devices, Nano/Biosensors and Nanomanufacturing.
Below are some of the many presentations that were presented at the Emerging Technologies Conference. Please click on the titles to download these presentations. The presentations are either in power point or pdf format.
Developing Immunoassays for Bioprocess Analysis and Diagnostics
Richard O’Kennedy, Professor of Biotechnology and Vice-President for Learning Innovation, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland.
Antibodies are ideal reagents for use in assay development and genetic engineering facilitates optimisation of their performance characteristics in terms of specificity, sensitivity, structural format, stability and immobilization. Their generation and potential applications in a range of diagnostic and process-related analyses using sensors and other platforms will be described.
Better Enzymes for Biosensors
Ciarán Fagan, School of Biotechnology and National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Ireland
Enzymes have many uses but their scope is limited by protein instability. We have performed chemical modification (CM) and genetic manipulation (GM) on the widely-used horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The lecture will show how these have led to more stable forms HRP. Biosensor-relevant improvements to HRP and another peroxidase will also be described.
Supercritical Fluid Assisted Processing of Polymers for Medical Use
Peter Hornsby, Queens’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Supercritical carbon dioxide can exert a strong transient plasticizing effect to many polymers during melt processing resulting in decreased viscosity, thereby providing an opportunity to reduce processing temperatures or limit mechanical damage to the material. The application of this approach will be discussed with reference to extrusion technology and the processing benefits achievable, including its use with inherently thermally unstable polymers and modifying additives used for medical purposes.
Novel Biosensor Platforms for Medical Diagnostics
Brian D. MacCraith, Director, Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (BDI), Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
In the coming decades, innovative biosensors will play an increasingly important role in the area of healthcare in both the developed and developing world. These devices will often be disposable and will rely on the integration of recent developments in a range of sciences and technologies, such as nanotechnology, microfluidics (lab-on-a-chip) and photonics. This presentation will discuss emerging strategies that will yield substantial enhancements in the analytical performance of optical biochip platforms, especially for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic applications.
Processing and Performance of Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites: Implications and Performance in Medical Devices and Packaging
Dr. Eileen Harkin-Jones, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
The processability of polymers can be significantly altered by the presence of nanoclay while the complex deformation and thermal regimes in industrial processes have an important influence on polymer-clay structuring and performance. In this presentation these aspects of polymer-clay nanocomposites processing will be examined and possibilities for tailored structuring in devices and packaging will be examined.
On-Line Monitoring of Nanocomposite/Biomaterial Compounding for Process Optimisation
Dr. Marion McAfee, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Interest in nanocomposites has grown exponentially over the past decade, however, several years and much research effort later and there are as yet few commercial applications of nanocomposite polymers worldwide. It is known that processing conditions play a major role in successful nanocomposite production but there is little agreement amongst researchers on the relative effects of various processing conditions on factors such as clay dispersion. This presentation will cover novel methods for on-line monitoring of nanocomposite compounding which can be used for better fundamental understanding of the process and ultimately achieve greater optimisation and consistency of nanocomposite quality. Applications of such sensors in monitoring processing of degradation-prone biomaterials will also be discussed.