Blog

Zhiguo Zhou, Ph.D.Director of Luna Nanomaterials Group The enormous potential of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and their successful incorporation in commercial products including bulk composite materials and thin films have dramatically increased their production worldwide to more than 10,000 metric tons per year. As with many new materials, toxicology concerns are being raised with CNTs regarding their interactions with humans and any safety hazards and environmental…Read More

First responders in the police, fire, and EMS community commonly enter situations with unknown threats wearing only standard duty uniforms.  These uniforms offer little to no protection against atypical threats.  Higher level protection is available with Multi-threat Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and it is capable of withstanding chemical/biological, cut, and puncture hazards, but they either do not exist in one garment or are bulky and…Read More

Christopher Tison, PhD, Senior Research Scientist and Biomedical Technologies Team LeadNathaniel Talley, Associate ScientistBiomedical Technologies Group Detection of E. coli is Inefficient and Costly The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the more critical indicators of water quality and is used as a direct indicator of fecal contamination. However, existing detection methods are costly, time-consuming, require laboratory expertise, and take up to…Read More

Lauren Costella, Associate ScientistChristopher Tison, PhD, Team LeaderBiomedical Technologies Group Ocular Injuries are Widespread and Inefficiently Treated Up to two million people sustain ocular trauma that threatens to reduce or eliminate their vision each year. The likelihood of maintaining normal vision is directly related to immediate management of the injury. Having access to the appropriate ocular repair dressing, cleansing solutions and antibiotics is therefore critical…Read More

Christopher Tison, PhD, Senior Research ScientistBiomedical Technologies Group Opioid Dependence is a Critical Public Health Crisis Since 2003, deaths from drug overdose have increased in almost every county in the United States. This growing public health crisis has been routinely reported on over the last several years, and the federal government has very recently published the first national standards for prescription painkillers. In 2014, the…Read More

Bryan Koene, PhD The Small Business Administration recently wrote an exclusive SBIR/STTR Success Story highlighting Luna Innovations’ ongoing accomplishments in transitioning government funded programs to commercial products. The success story, available here, describes Luna’s durable rain repellent coating, developed under a Navy Phase II SBIR program, and chosen for transition to the Commercialization Readiness Program (CRP) for Air Force F-16 canopies. Luna’s rain repellent coatings…Read More

Michael J. Danilich, PhD, Director of Research, Technology Development DivisionBrad Day, Associate Scientist, Biomedical Technologies Group Luna Innovations will be demonstrating TrueClot® hemorrhage simulation and training products in booth #3132 at the EMS Today Exposition on February 25th – 27th.  EMS Today is the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) Conference and Exposition, and it draws EMS experts from across the United States and around the world. …Read More

Jeffrey Struss Associate Scientist, Nanomaterials Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the most commonly used non-invasive imaging techniques in medicine. Allowing the clinician to visualize the structure of the tissues inside the body in high resolution without the need for vivisection.  With the dramatic enhancements to in vivo imaging and the growth of cellular-based therapeutics, the need to track cells as they travel, over…Read More

Jennifer Miller and Lance Li Luna’s Nanomaterials Group What are biomarkers and why are they important?  Biomarkers are measurable indicators of the presence and extent of a disease process in the body, reflecting an interaction between a biological system in the body and a potential hazard. These indicators can be a number of different substances including nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules (Figure 1). Testing…Read More

Michael J. Danilich, PhD Director of Research, Technology Development Division On Tuesday, October 6, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched “Stop the Bleed,” a campaign to provide ordinary citizen bystanders with the tools and know-how to stop life-threatening bleeding in the event of an emergency. As stated on the “Stop The Bleed” website, “no matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders…Read More