The technologies are the MicroCAT X-ray micro-computed tomography for biological research, the AquaSentinel real-time water supply protection monitoring biosensor system, the Photo-Molecular Comb biomolecular separator and the miniature californium-252 neutron source for cancer therapy.
The awards were presented during the consortium's national meeting in Orlando. The consortium is composed of 711 federal laboratories and facilities representing approximately 100,000 scientists and engineers. The awards recognize federal laboratory employees for outstanding work in the process of transferring a technology to the commercial marketplace.
Twenty-four awards were presented nationwide. For the third year in a row, ORNL is the only federal laboratory to be recognized with four awards, which is the maximum allowed to be submitted for consideration.
The MicroCat was honored last October as the project of the year by the southeastern region of the consortium. The technology enables mice and other small creatures to be screened for tumors and genetic study while they are still alive. The technology provides three-dimensional images of the subject being studied. The device saves time and money because biologists can quickly screen subjects individually for internal mutations without sacrificing and dissecting the animals, which can then be examined repeatedly. Cell research also can be conducted with this device.
The technology was developed by Shaun Gleason and Michael Paulus of ORNL's Engineering Science and Technology Division. The project is funded by DOE's Laboratory Directed Research and Development program.
Other ORNL members of the research team were Derek Austin, Miljko Bobrek, Gary Alle
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Contact: Fred Strohl
strohlhf@ornl.gov
865-574-4165
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
6-May-2005