Rutgers Inventors Honored with Edison Patent Awards in Industrial Processes, Medical Diagnostics Categories
A catalyst that converts waste CO₂ to chemical products. A monoclonal antibody that could revolutionize the detection of tuberculosis. Both innovations were developed at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and both received 2024 Edison Patent Awards at the annual Research & Development (R&D) Council of New Jersey (RDNJ) banquet.
This marked the third straight Edison Patent Awards in which two Rutgers teams have been honored.
Rutgers Distinguished Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology G. Charles Dismukes, and his team of Anders Laursen, Martha Greenblatt, and Karin Calvinho received the Industrial Processes award for “Nickel Phosphide Catalysts for Direct Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to Hydrocarbons” patent (U.S. 10,676,833).
Their technology is the basis for the Rutgers startup RenewCO2, which uses water and electricity to convert waste CO2 to chemical products by way of a patented and trademarked electrocatalytic process called eCUT (Electrocatalytic Carbon Utilization Technology) that consumes CO2 from various emission sources.
According to the company’s website, industrial sector carbon dioxide emissions are 850 million tons annually and could reach as high as 1.9 gigatons by 2050. RenewCO2 believes eCUT can be used in existing industrial chemical processes and is low-cost, energy-efficient, and carbon-negative.
“The Edison Patent Award is very special to me personally, insofar as Edison’s legacy of innovation has been an aspirational goal of mine for many years and is what brought me to Rutgers in 2009,” said Dismukes. “Edison, the inventor, symbolizes the passion and dedication needed to translate fundamental knowledge into practical solutions. His inventions transformed our lives worldwide. Edison’s zeal and dedication are shared by the patent coauthors and cofounders of RenewCO2, Anders Laursen and Karin Calvinho. Planet Earth urgently needs our help today. This is the mission of RenewCO2.”
Abraham Pinter, a professor in the Department of Medicine, and Alok Choudhary, an assistant professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics at the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) within Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, were honored with the Medical Diagnostics award for “Anti-LAM and Anti-PIM6/LAM Monoclonal Antibodies for Diagnosis and Treatment of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infections” patent (U.S. 10,729,771). Their team isolated novel human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against a significant component of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (M.tb) cell wall called lipoarabinomannan (LAM), which is secreted into the bloodstream and urine of patients with active tuberculosis (TB) infections.
Millions of people worldwide are infected with M.tb, and approximately 10% of them develop active tuberculosis. If left undiagnosed and untreated, the person with active disease can spread the infection through the air. Despite the availability of an effective treatment, TB remains the second deadliest infectious disease and a major contributor to death in HIV-1 infected patients. The conventional method of diagnosing TB in HIV-1 infected patients is not very effective, highlighting the need for a faster and more readily available point-of-care test for M.tb so that patients can be identified and treated with TB drugs as soon as possible. Dr. Pinter and Choudhary’s team have engineered these mAbs for immunodiagnostic applications to detect the diverse LAM antigens secreted in the urine of patients with active TB.
“Tuberculosis remains a major health problem in most of the world, infecting an estimated 25% of the world’s population,” stated Dr. Pinter. “TB disease occurs mainly in developing countries, where access to affordable diagnostics is limited. It was gratifying to see our discovery leading to the development of a practical point-of-care assay for diagnosing TB; this will allow early treatment and help eradicate the world’s most lethal infectious disease.”
Added Dr. Choudhary, "I am honored that our invention is aiding high-burden countries, particularly my home country India, and contributing to a TB-free world."
The Office for Research has supported both research teams through its Technology Transfer and New Ventures units. Technology Transfer worked with the researchers to patent the technologies and ensure intellectual property protection. The New Ventures team has collaborated with ReNewCO2 through its launch, and now as the company is looking for funding, investors, and research collaborators.
“The Edison Patent Awards honors innovations that can make a difference in the world, so it is no surprise that these two teams have been recognized,” said Michael E. Zwick, PhD, senior vice president for research. “Their discoveries are fantastic examples of the work Rutgers researchers do to address worldwide issues. The Office for Research is proud to support all research being conducted within our four Chancellor-led units at Rutgers University.”
“We are so proud of Drs. Dismukes, Laursen, Greenblatt, Calvinho, Pinter, and Choudhary for this well-deserved honor they have received,” said Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, executive director of Technology Transfer, and Vince Smeraglia, JD, executive director of New Ventures. “The Technology Transfer and New Ventures teams collaborated with both teams to help protect, advance, and commercialize their innovations, and we are thrilled for them to earn these awards.”
The Edison Patent Awards, named for Thomas Edison and now in their 45th year, include 14 categories and are presented annually by the RDNJ to recognize and highlight the “broad array of research conducted in the state.”
A team of R&D Council researchers selects the winners after evaluating nominated patents “based on the significance of the problem addressed, its utility/socioeconomic value, [and] novelty and commercial impact.” The 45th annual Edison Patent Awards Ceremony and Reception will take place on Thursday, November 21, at Bell Works. To read the RDNJ release and see the complete list of the 2024 Edison Patent Award winners, click here.
