Broad spectrum of inventions featured at Tech Transfer event

A new scalpel for use in cataract surgery and a process for making building, clothing and other materials react to changes in light are two of the

Patent application renderings of tools for use in eye surgery, invented by Dr. Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni. (Diagram courtesy Dr. Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni)

U-M inventions that will be recognized during an Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) Inventors' Reception Oct. 1.

More than 1.3 million cataract surgeries are performed in the United States each year. During the procedure, called anterior capsulotomy, the surgeon cuts a membrane known as the anterior capsule in order to reach and remove the opaque lens, and puts another in its place.

"Current techniques for cutting the membrane may lead to undesirable and uncontrolled tear of the anterior capsule," says Dr. Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni, clinical lecturer and pediatric ophthalmology fellow at the Kellogg Eye Center. This can lead to cuts that are too big or too small or tears that deviate from the intended circle. "Uncontrolled tears can undermine support structures necessary to hold the new lens in place and can lead to other surgical complications, she says.

Eibschitz-Tsimhoni (Photo courtesy Eibschitz-Tsimhoni)

Three years ago, as a resident at Kellogg, Eibschitz-Tsimhoni began to create a new semi-circular scalpel that works much like a cookie cutter, making a controlled and precise cut in the membrane. She contacted OTT for help with her new invention.

"They were very helpful guiding me through the steps to patent it," Eibschitz-Tsimhoni says. "They streamlined the entire process." The scalpel now is in the prototype stage and will be tested further before it can be used routinely, she says. She and the staff at OTT are working with a major manufacturer of ophthalmic products on the final research phase.

Her experience with OTT was so positive that she is working with the staff again on a new method for treating Graves Eye Disease and a software program that will help ophthalmologists identify a person's disease by imputing a list of symptoms into a computer.

Eibschitz-Tsimhoni's enthusiasm for the Tech Transfer program is echoed by graduate student Abhinand Lath, whose invention called Optrix is a technique that allows building and other material to react to changes in light intensity and color.

"From providing initial guidance regarding the world of patent protection to setting me up with an IP [intellectual property] lawyer, and now providing various options and strategies as to moving forward with commercialization of the technology, the people at Tech Transfer have all been great," Lath says.

Light dances as shadow is introduced to the surface of building material that uses Optrix, a new technology developed by a graduate student in the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning. The invention and several others will be featured in an Oct. 1 Tech Transfer Inventors Reception.

"Being a student, I had little knowledge of the intricacies of the world of patents and IP, and I had limited ways of finding out about this world on my own without taking large financial risks. I had no idea who to approach and trust. The Tech Transfer office let me get rid of these distracting thoughts and allowed me to concentrate on what I was interested in—my work," he says.

Lath, a student in the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture Urban Planning, originally developed the material for incorporating interactive light into architectural design. Essentially he used the scientific principle of total internal reflection to create materials that react to shadow and light. Putting it in easy-to-understand terms, Lath says it is similar to what happens when you put a straw in a glass of water—the straw appears bent because light passing through a denser medium, in this case water, gets bent. At angles greater than a "critical" angle this bending is enough to trap the light and prevent it from escaping the medium—allowing it to be "piped." In Optrix, light passes through building and other materials, allowing one point of entry to influence another remote spot at the other end of the channel through which the light is passed, in this case acrylic tubing. The result is a material that reacts to variations in brightness at multiple points when either light or shadow is introduced.

Lath says what began as a creation for aesthetics now has potential security and alternative energy uses. His original plan was to use the material to add an interesting design dimension to walls and floors in buildings, but through the process of development other uses emerged, including reflective clothing and "passive" lighting for display cases that do not require an energy source.

Lath's and Eibschitz-Tsimhoni's creations are among the eight technology displays featured during this year's Celebrate Invention event, which is open to the entire community, says OTT Executive Director Ken Nisbet. "We are honoring more than 500 University men and women who have either disclosed an invention this past year, or been involved in a license or patent. This is always a fun event."

Celebrate Invention will be held 3-6 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Michigan League Ballroom. Those who wish to attend are asked to RSVP by e-mailing Sandra Moing at camoing@umich.edu or calling her at (734) 764-8202.

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