Boasting over 1,700 full-time faculty members across eight colleges and an alumni network of 250,000 alumni worldwide, Colorado State University continually fosters scientific endeavors and innovation.
This atmosphere has helped foster the creation of various patents and inventions, born both on CSU’s campus by faculty and research staff. Ranking No. 91 nationally on the list of top universities granted patents by the National Academy of Inventors and generating $3.58 million in licensing revenue in 2024 alone, CSU’s dedication to technology research has certainly yielded results. Here are six recent patents granted over the past year and their inventors.
1. Identification of herbicide-resistant genes in Palmer Amaranth
Palmer Amaranth is an invasive weed present across North America that often appears in corn, cotton and soybean fields. Growing 6 to 10 feet tall at a rate of 2 inches per day, this invasive species is resistant to herbicides, a trait that’s cause was previously unidentified.
Associate professor of agricultural biology Todd Gaines, along with his co-investigators Marcelo Rodrigues Alves de Figueiredo and Anita Kuepper, used RNA sequencing to analyze resistant populations of the weed. In doing so, they were able to identify a key gene responsible for herbicide resistance. This discovery will allow for improved Palmer Amaranth management, improve economic outcomes for agricultural producers and increase sustainable crop production.
2. Fatigue, fracture resistant hydrogels
Hydrogels are constructed from polymer chains that form three-dimensional structures, capable of absorbing a significant volume of liquid or fluid. The substance’s high water content and soft structure allows it to closely resemble living tissues. Despite these advantages, developed hydrogel systems are often faced with significant plastic deformation under repeated force and tension.
Travis Bailey, a professor in the department of chemical and biological engineering, developed a new hydrogel more resistant to fatigue and fractures than others currently on the market. His team designed the polymer structure to include elasticity and one-second recovery periods following compression. This fatigue and fracture resistance structure is unique compared to other hydrogel networks.
3. Spin wave computing power for encryption
With over 1,240 data centers running throughout the United States and continuing to rise in the face of a growing artificial intelligence industry explosion, finding physical space-saving computing methods is more critical now than ever. Magnetic skyrmions, a small swirling magnetic particle, may hold just the answer.
Physics department chair and professor Kristen Buchanan worked with a team of researchers to discover a way to store information on skyrmions through a cycling process, in which thin magnetic films can be encrypted and decrypted through a changing perimeter, such as temperature. This discovery produces many benefits, including the technology’s ability to integrate with other quantum-computing methods and potential applications in future data storage and encryption efforts.
4. Smart Well Device monitors cellular metabolism in real time
Thomas Chen, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, developed a Smart Well Device capable of monitoring one’s metabolic rate down to the molecular level. A well plate is a flat plate with standard-number wells, each able to hold test tubes.
A standard research tool in analytic and clinical diagnostic testing laboratories, the new well plate device — designed by Chen’s team — has two parts: disposable wells with gold-plated electrode sensors secured at the bottom and a plate body with electronic communication channels. These wells are able to analyze oxygen, glucose, lactate and pH, all used to calculate a person’s real-time cellular metabolic rate.
5. 3D printing customized cardiovascular devices
A team of researchers at CSU developed a new system for manufacturing customized cardiovascular devices through 3D printing technology. Constructed from thermo-plastic urethane, the patent-specific model is generated from patient cardiovascular data.
Led by David Prawel, an associate research professor in the department of mechanical engineering, the team aimed to boost the success rate of manufacturing heart valve disease devices, which can often be difficult to conform to the unique anatomy of a patient during surgery.
6. Organic waste streams to carbon-negative end products
Annually, almost 60 million tons of organic or food-based waste is created in the United States. While only 5% of wasted food is composted, organic materials comprise 51.4% of all municipal solid waste that is sent to landfills annually. This is a reality a team of CSU researchers is attempting to change through a newly patented system of anaerobic digestion.
Led by professor of civil and environmental engineering, Sybil Sharvelle, the research team designed a system requiring the absence of oxygen where certain types of bacteria can be introduced to streams of organic waste. This combination then produces carbon-negative end products, such as aviation fuel, solvents and lubricants.
Reach Katie Fisher at science@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
