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General University News Albany, N.Y., April 23, 2003 - State University of New York Chancellor Robert L. King today announced that a new "virtual colonoscopy" system is giving patients a
In January and February 2003 SUNY received six new patents, including 6,514,082 - System and method for performing a three-dimensional examination with collapse correction, which was issued on Feb. 4 and is part of the virtual colonoscopy related series. Stony Brook University Professor and Department of Computer Science Chair Arie E. Kaufman, led the team that developed the new system. "Dr. Kaufman's newest patient-friendly tool is just one of four SUNY patented technologies to be commercialized by a Long Island company to help physicians easily spot polyps and tumors via a virtual tour," King said. "This portfolio of inventions demonstrates how SUNY research initiatives: 1) Benefit our society, 2) Contribute to the overall economy in New York State, and 3) Position the State University of New York as an elite patent-generating institution along with the Universities of California, Texas, and Wisconsin." Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Research suggests that screening and polyp removal can prevent polyps from progressing into invasive cancers. Licensed to Viatronix Inc., these Stony Brook University technologies developed by Kaufman and his team have helped the Stony Brook, N.Y., company develop diagnostic 3D imaging software that puts computed tomography (CT) colonography images together into a three dimensional computerized image of the colon. The FDA-approved Viatronix Virtual Colonoscopy allows a physician to see 100 percent of the colon surface vs. the estimated 80 percent with conventional methods. Recent studies show that fewer than 35 percent of the people who should be screened do so on a regular basis and only half of those have routine colonoscopy. There are many reasons for this, but among the most prominent is that many people are uncomfortable with colonoscopy, which uses a slender, flexible, hollow, lighted tube about the thickness of a finger. This "colonoscope" is gently eased inside the colon and has a tiny video camera, which sends clear pictures to a TV monitor. The exam itself usually takes 45 to 60 minutes. For the most part, patients are sedated for the procedure. In contrast, a Viatraonix Virtual Colonoscopy screening takes less than 15 minutes and requires that a patient drink of contrast solution, which eliminates the need for a harsh purgative prior to the scanning. Because there is no sedation required, it is not necessary to have a friend nearby to drive the patient back and forth. The patient lies on his/her back and stomach while a CAT Scan takes pictures of the abdomen and pelvis, and a small tube is inserted in the rectum to inflate the colon. A high quality 3-D image of the colon then is constructed, eliminating the need for inserting and moving a scope through the colon. After the exam the physician can actually "fly through" the patient's colon, from beginning to end, and around all folds, searching for even tiny polyps. "It's like taking a 'Fantastic Voyage' through the colon, as if you were in a submarine navigating the length of the organ," said Dr. Kaufman, leading professor and chairman, Computer Science Department at Stony Brook University. Other members of the Stony Brook research team include: Drs. Zhengrong Liang, professor, departments of Radiology and Computer Science; Mark R. Wax, associate professor, department of Radiology, and director, Computer Body Tomography; Ming Wan, formerly of Stony Brook University and now with The Boeing Corp.; and Dongquing Chen, formerly of Stony Brook University and now a Viatronix employee. "The voyage comes complete with full viewing capabilities, enabling a physician to stop the fly-through, turn around and look at any aspect of an anomaly from any viewpoint," Kaufman added. "Just as you would hold an object in your hands and turn it around to see it from all angles, the Viatronix 3D allows you to turn and look at a polyp from different viewpoints." The four Stony Brook University patents protect many of the features incorporated in the company's V3D-Colon(tm) product, and are planned for use in future Viatronix 3D medical imaging products. The licensed patents cover these Viatronix technologies: 1. Electronic cleansing - This feature covers the methods involved in electronically removing tagged regions from the CT scans, such as residual stool or fluid from a patient's colon. This allows for a less rigorous bowel preparation, making the Viatronix V3D-Colon procedure more comfortable for patients. 2. Transparent rendering - This feature allows the user to view behind the colon wall. By using this viewing tool, the number of false positives caused from residual material and thickened haustral folds in the colon can be reduced. 3. Computer aided detection - This technology assists in automatically detecting suspicious abnormalities on the colon surface, reducing physician time required to locate potential polyps. 4. Virtual examination system - This system--consisting of a medical scanning device and computer components, including processing, graphics and a volume rendering board--provides high quality and high-speed virtual examinations. 5. Automatic centerline creation - This time saving feature allows for the automated creation of a centerline used to perform a virtual endoscopy. 6. Interactive navigation - This intuitive navigational capability gives the user the ability to navigate more freely without being restricted to centerline views. U.S. patents for SUNY inventions are awarded to The Research Foundation of SUNY, which is responsible for protecting SUNY intellectual property and commercializing these technologies for public benefit through its Technology Transfer central office in Albany and through offices at State University campuses in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook. In 2002 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded 55 patents to SUNY, placing in the top 10 of U.S. universities receiving the most patents for inventions. The following three patents also were awarded for Stony Brook University technology since Jan. 1, 2003: 6,509,383 - Methods and compositions for screening cloned proteins Inventors: Paul A. Fisher, professor, Pharmacological Sciences, and Alexander Zaika, professor, Pathology Department, both at Stony Brook University. Issued: Jan. 21, 2003 Filed: May 15, 2001 Summary: This is the second patent for an invention with novel modified cellulose that makes possible, for the first time, a two-dimensional screening system that is readily amenable to high throughput screening of cloned proteins. By maintaining a two-dimensional format, the present invention enables the processing of large numbers of samples concurrently, which is not possible with three-dimensional columns and available gels used in conventional screening systems. The research was funded by a National Institutes of Health grant. The modified cellulose comprises metal charged iminodiacetic acid (IDA) cellulose for detecting a test sample having a histidine tag. While in association with the matrix, the cloned proteins may retain their native conformation and biological activity. Therefore, it is possible to perform functional and biochemical screening assays simply and quickly without removing the cloned proteins from the matrix. The metal charged IDA cellulose allows for easy screening of a large number of proteins following mutagenesis, and allows a screener to rapidly ascertain which mutants have desired functional activity or binding capacity. 6,518,033 - Method of detecting the presence of CD155 for diagnosis of cancer and to determine treatment Inventors: Drs. Eckard Wimmer, professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Stony Brook University, and Matthias Gromeier, formerly a research associate with Dr. Wimmer at Stony Brook, and presently assistant professor of Microbiology at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. Issued: Feb. 11, 2003 Filed: Sept. 6, 2000 Summary: This invention involves antibodies to a poliovirus receptor (PVR), CD155, to detect the presence of CD155 on tumor cells and to determine whether the use of chimeric polioviruses is a proper course for the treatment of the tumors in various organs, such as: breast, colon, bronchial passage, epithelial lining of the gastrointestinal, upper respiratory and genito-urinary tracts, liver, prostate and the brain. The research was funded by a National Institutes of Health grant. In 2002 a patent was awarded for Wimmer and Gromier invention of a genetically engineered, cancer killing poliovirus that is being prepared for clinical trials in patients with an especially dangerous form of brain cancer. The new poliovirus, PVs (RIPO), will be tested on incurable brain tumors, malignant glioma and astrocytoma. 6,524,558 - Dental anti-hypersensitivity composition and method Inventors: Drs. Israel Kleinberg; Ana Marie Acevedo, and Robi Chatterjee, School of Dental Medicine, Stony Brook University Issued: Feb. 25, 2003 Filed: Aug. 27, 2001 Summary: This is part of a series of patents for an innovative desensitizing agent, SensiStat(tm), for use by dentists while cleaning and polishing teeth of patients with chronic tooth sensitivity. Their invention, an oral composition of arginine bicarbonate and calcium carbonate, plugs and seals open dentinal tubules that lead to the tooth's pulp and cause sensitivity. This patented technology is licensed to Ortek Therapeutics Inc., a Garden City, N.Y.-based company that is marketing SensiStat under the brand name ProClude(tm). The Technology Transfer Office of the Research Foundation of State University of New York was established in 1979 to identify and protect university-developed intellectual property and serve as a catalyst for economic growth by creating partnerships with business and industry to further research and license inventions for public use. The State University of New York ranks in the top 10 of U.S. patent-generating educational institutions. As of the end of fiscal year 2001-02, more than 600 patents have been issued to the Research Foundation on behalf of SUNY and its faculty, with inventions generating almost $17.6 million in royalties in fiscal 2002. According to the latest data available from the Association of University Technology Managers, The State University of New York is ahead of research universities like Harvard and John Hopkins for royalties earned on inventions. Information about SUNY technologies available for licensing is available at the Research Foundation's Technology Transfer Web site at www.rfsuny.org/tto. The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, with 403,000 students enrolled in 6,400 fields of study on 64 campuses. To learn how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu. # # # V3D-Colon(tm) is a Trademark of Viatronix Incorporated. SensiStat(tm) and ProClude(tm) are Trademarks of Ortek Therapeutics Incorporated. © Copyright 2005 by Stony Brook University |
