UVAPF Honors 2009 Inventors of the Year

The University of Virginia Patent Foundation named John P. Mugler III, Ph.D., and James R. Brookeman, Ph.D., the 2009 Edlich-Henderson Inventors of the Year at a ceremony Monday evening. The highest honor bestowed by the U.Va. Patent Foundation, the Edlich-Henderson Inventor of the Year award each year recognizes an inventor or team of inventors whose research discoveries have proven to be of notable value to society.

Mugler and Brookeman, professors of radiology and biomedical engineering at U.Va., were honored for their groundbreaking work in magnetic resonance imaging techniques over the past two decades. The researchers' innovative pulse sequences, which essentially serve as instructions that tell MRI machines how to operate and collect data, have been implemented in the machines of major industry MRI equipment manufacturers.

In addition, their more recent cutting-edge work with hyperpolarized noble gases as MRI contrast agents for the lungs is currently being explored with colleagues at U.Va. and in clinical trials by a major manufacturer.

"Through their inventive contributions to magnetic resonance imaging, John and Jim have made an incredible impact both on the field and on patient care, and we congratulate them on their success," said Marie C. Kerbeshian, Ph.D., executive director and CEO of the U.Va. Patent Foundation. "Their combined genius in the identification and development of just the right pulse sequences, in particular, has helped pave the way for modern three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging."

Mugler and Brookeman's leading technology in terms of commercial and societal impact thus far is a fast, 3-D pulse sequencing technique referred to as MP-RAGE (Magnetization-Prepared Rapid Gradient Echo). The U.Va. Patent Foundation received an issued patent on this technology in 1993 and has licensed the patent rights to Siemens AG and Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (Philips). As a result, MP-RAGE is now implemented in MRI scanners in hospitals and research institutions worldwide.

Prior to MP-RAGE, early 3-D MRI techniques required approximately 10 minutes to obtain enough data to render 3-D images with sufficient detail for many important applications. Consequently, these early techniques proved impractical, and two-dimensional "slices" remained the norm.

"In MR imaging, the patient has to remain still in order for the images to be clear," Brookeman said. "But after 10 minutes, even healthy people have to move."

"We worked to make 3-D MRI technology faster, with higher resolution and other important improvements, making it possible to acquire 3-D images with desirable contrast on the order of five minutes," Mugler added. "Suddenly, it became practical to take 3-D images."

The researchers' improved pulse sequences yielded images that were more detailed and thus more likely to reveal subtle abnormalities than their predecessors, providing for earlier and more accurate diagnoses. And unlike 2-D slices, 3-D MP-RAGE produces detailed images that can be viewed from any orientation on modern computer workstations.

The widespread implementation of the researchers' MP-RAGE technique — and its use in such studies as the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a pioneering series of trials designed to record an array of brain measurements for Alzheimer's patients — have helped to establish MP-RAGE as a primary standard in 3-D magnetic resonance imaging.

Mugler and Brookeman partly credit the University's collaborative clinician–scientist atmosphere and research capabilities, such as a research agreement with Siemens AG, for their success. "This type of research couldn't happen everywhere," Mugler said. "With all successful new technologies, it's not just having the idea; it's also having the right environment in which to practice."

Mugler and Brookeman have received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Virginia's Commonwealth Technology Research Fund, Siemens AG and Nycomed Amersham Imaging (since acquired by General Electric Company).

In addition to honoring Mugler and Brookeman, the U.Va. Patent Foundation recognized all U.Va. inventors who received U.S. patents and copyrights in 2008 at the U.Va. Patent Foundation Awards Banquet April 13. A list of these U.Va. inventors and their projects follows.

About the University of Virginia Patent Foundation
The University of Virginia Patent Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that serves to bring U.Va. technologies to the global marketplace by evaluating, protecting and licensing intellectual property generated in the course of research at U.Va. The foundation reviews and evaluates nearly 200 inventions per year and has generated approximately $85 million in licensing revenue since its formation in 1978.

About the Edlich-Henderson Inventor of the Year Award
Named for U.Va. professor emeritus Richard F. Edlich, M.D., Ph.D., and Christopher J. Henderson, the Edlich-Henderson Inventor of the Year award recognizes an inventor or team of inventors each year whose technology has proven to be of notable value to society. Award winners receive a $10,000 cash prize and formal recognition at the Patent Foundation's annual awards banquet.

Award winners include:
2009	John P. Mugler III, Ph.D. James R. Brookeman, Ph.D.
2008	George T. Rodeheaver, Ph.D.
2007	Wladek Minor, Ph.D.
2006	George T. Gillies, Ph.D.
2005	Benjamin M. Gaston, M.D. John F. Hunt, M.D.
2004	Haydn N.G. Wadley, Ph.D.
2003	William A. Petri Jr., M.D., Ph.D. Barbara J. Mann, Ph.D.
2002	Joel M. Linden, Ph.D.
2001	Doris Kuhlmann-Wilsdorf, Ph.D.
2000	Ronald P. Taylor, Ph.D.
1999	John C. Herr, Ph.D.
1997	Richard L. Guerrant, M.D. Timothy L. Macdonald, Ph.D.
1996	Jessica J. Brand Patrice G. Guyenet, Ph.D. Richard D. Pearson, M.D. Janine C. Jagger, Ph.D.
1995	Donald F. Hunt, Ph.D. Jeffrey Shabanowitz, Ph.D. George C. Stafford Jr., Ph.D.
1994	Gerald L. Mandell, M.D. Gail W. Sullivan
1993	Joseph Larner, M.D., Ph.D
1992	Robert M. Berne, M.D. Luiz Belardinelli, M.D. Rafael Rubio, Ph.D.

U.S. Patents Issued to U.Va. Inventors in 2008

System and Method for Remote Sensing and/or Analyzing Spectral Properties of Targets and/or Chemical Species for Detection and Identification Thereof
(Patent No. 7,315,377)
Stephen K. Holland, Ph.D.
Roland H. Krauss, Ph.D.
Gabriel Laufer, Ph.D.

Ocular Tear Growth Factor-Like Protein
(Patent No. 7,320,870)
Gordon W. Laurie, Ph.D.

Bone Targeting Peptides
(Patent No. 7,323,542)
Gary Balian, Ph.D.

Device and Method for Assessing Asthma and Other Diseases
(Patent No. 7,347,825)
John W. Vaughan
John F. Hunt, M.D.
Benjamin M. Gaston, M.D.
Timothy L. Macdonald, Ph.D.

Felbamate Derived Compounds
(Patent No. 6,599,935CI)
Timothy L. Macdonald, Ph.D.
Christine M. Fandozzi, Ph.D.

Therapeutic Uses of Complement Receptor 2
(Patent No. 7,378,094)
Ronald P. Taylor, Ph.D.
Margaret A. Lindorfer, Ph.D.
William M. Sutherland, Ph.D.

Method to Reduce an Inflammatory Response from Arthritis
(Patent No. 7,378,400)
Jayson M. Rieger, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Donald L. Kimpel, M.D.
Joel M. Linden, Ph.D.
Gail W. Sullivan

Hybrid Polymers for Functional Tuning of Microfluidic Device Surfaces
(Patent No. 7,381,471)
James P. Landers, Ph.D.
Jerome P. Ferrance, Ph.D.
Joy M. Polefrone, Ph.D.

Agonists of A_2A Adenosine Receptors for Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy
(Patent No. 7,396,825)
Mark D. Okusa, M.D.
Joel M. Linden, Ph.D.
Timothy L. Macdonald, Ph.D.
Alaa S. Awad, M.D.

Heat Exchange Foam
(Patent No. 7,401,643)
Douglas T. Queheillalt, Ph.D.
Haydn N.G. Wadley, Ph.D.
Yasushi Katsumi

Efficient Ultrasound System for Two-Dimensional C-Scan Imaging and Related Method Thereof
(Patent No. 7,402,136)
John A. Hossack, Ph.D.
William F. Walker, Ph.D.
Travis N. Blalock, Ph.D.

Method, Apparatus and Computer Program Product for Assessment of Attentional Impairments
(Patent No. 7,403,814)
Daniel J. Cox, Ph.D.
Boris P. Kovatchev, Ph.D.
Raina S. Robeva, Ph.D.
Jennifer K. Penberthy, Ph.D.

TAG-1 and TAG-2 Proteins and Uses Thereof
(Patent No. 7,413,894)
Kevin T. Hogan, Ph.D.
Craig L. Slingluff Jr., M.D.

Oral General Anesthetics and Metabolitically Resistant Anticonvulsants
(Patent No. 7,414,078)
Milton L. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.

System for Detection of Nitrosylated Proteins
(Patent No. 7,419,834)
Benjamin M. Gaston, M.D.

Method for Manufacture of Truss Core Sandwich Structures and Related Structures Thereof
(Patent No. 7,424,967)
Kenneth D. Ervin
Haydn N.G. Wadley, Ph.D.

Method to Reduce Inflammatory Response in Transplanted Tissue
(Patent No. 7,427,606)
Joel M. Linden, Ph.D.
Kenneth L. Brayman, M.D., Ph.D.
Gail W. Sullivan

Use of S-Nitrosothiol Signaling to Treat Disordered Control of Breathing
(Patent No. 7,432,301)
Benjamin M. Gaston, M.D.

Sodium Channel Blockers
(Patent No. 7,439,383)
Milton L. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.

Method of Inhibiting Vascular Permeability
(Patent No. 7,442,681)
Martin A. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Rebecca A. Stockton, Ph.D.

2-Polycyclic Propynyl Adenosine Analogs Having A_2A Agonist Activity
(Patent No. 7,442,687)
Jayson M. Rieger, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Joel M. Linden, Ph.D.
Timothy L. Macdonald, Ph.D.
Gail W. Sullivan
Lauren J. Murphree, Ph.D.
Robert A. Figler, Ph.D.
Robert D. Thompson, Ph.D.

Ocular Tear Growth Factor-Like Protein
(Patent No. 7,459,440)
Gordon W. Laurie, Ph.D.

Method and System for Enhanced Resolution, Automatically-Calibrated Position Sensor
(Patent No. 7,460,979)
Zachary Buckner

Implantable Centrifugal Blood Pump with Hybrid Magnetic Bearings
(Patent No. 7,462,019)
Paul Allaire, Ph.D.
Ronald D. Flack Jr., Ph.D.
Jeffrey A. Decker
Michael Baloh, Ph.D.

U.S. Copyrights Registered to U.Va. Authors in 2008

Trojan Goat: The 2002 University of Virginia Solar Decathlon House
John D. Quale

VO3 Algorithms that Monitor Rhythmicity of Motor Activity
Michael L. Johnson, Ph.D.

Metabolic Simulator in T1DM
Marc D. Breton, Ph.D.