Arizona State University has moved into the top 10 of all universities worldwide for U.S. patents awarded in 2018, according to a new report by the U.S. National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

The university jumped to 10th place from 17th in 2017. ASU actually tied with the University of Michigan for No. 10. Other universities listed in the top 10 include the University of California, Stanford University, MIT and the University of Texas. ASU earned 130 patents in 2018, up from 100 the previous year.

“These rankings demonstrate that ASU researchers are producing high-potential inventions at a world-class rate,” stated Augustine “Augie” Cheng, CEO and chief legal officer of Skysong Innovations, ASU’s exclusive technology transfer and intellectual property management organization. “As these technologies move into commercial application, ASU research is kick-starting dozens of new startup companies that are attracting millions of dollars in venture funding and helping to power Arizona’s economy.”

The Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents report has been published annually since 2013. The report utilizes data acquired from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to highlight the important role patents play in university research and innovation. The rankings are compiled by calculating the number of utility patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that list a university as the first assignee on the issued patent.

Among the 130 patents awarded to ASU in 2018 are technologies for flexible batteries, an immunosignature-based diagnosis of cancer in dogs and a handheld device that can read your metabolism on the spot.

Flexible batteries

Batteries have been very useful over the years providing energy to remote areas where and when it is needed most. But a limiting factor of batteries is their relatively rigid structure. Now a team of ASU researchers have developed a way to make deformable batteries based on the Japanese paper-folding art of origami. The new batteries promise a wide range of uses where unconventional designs require a flexible battery.

In a demonstration, a prototype battery was sewn into an elastic wristband that was attached to a smart watch. The battery fully powered the watch and its functions — including playing video — as the band was being stretched.

“This type of battery could potentially be used to replace the bulky and rigid batteries that are limiting the development of compact wearable electronic devices,” stated Hanqing Jiang, a professor in ASU’s School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy who led the development team.

Dog cancer diagnostics

Our canine “best friends” continue to be affected by cancer. In fact, cancer is the No. 1 cause of illness and death in older dogs.

Through a patent, ASU scientist Stephen Johnston is developing new ways of diagnosing and preventing cancer in canines. Mr. Johnston and his colleagues at the Biodesign Institute have developed a microchip-based technology called immunosignature diagnosis that can rapidly and comprehensively measure an individual’s vaccine response, promising to take much of the initial guesswork out of predicting effective vaccines.

The idea of the work is to reshape the way we approach treating cancer in dogs by preventing it before it starts.

Recently, Mr. Johnston — also a professor in the School of Life Sciences — began a large-scale dog cancer vaccine trial, which will target several cancers common to dogs and is slated to run over five years. And if his approach can work in dogs, the same technology could be applied to people, too.

Reading metabolism

Breezing is a consumer-friendly technology that can track a user’s metabolism. It is a device that measures metabolic data, including oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, with the idea that the user can modify her or his activity to either lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight during daily activities.

The wearable device provides precise assessments of a person’s resting metabolic rate using sensor technology based on research conducted at the Biodesign Institute. The technology provides data to help customize nutrition, lifestyle and exercise plans.

Breezing was founded by N.J. Tao, director of the Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, and Erica Forzani, an associate professor at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Editor's Note: Information from an Arizona State University news release.