SPICE: Sea sPray ICE prediction model

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures

About the technology

Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories are opening up for new and widespread industry activities such as aquaculture, new shipping pathways, offshore wind-energy harness and so on. However, icing of marine structures is a big challenge affecting operations. SPICE is a machine learning model that can predict the amount and distribution of ice on different structures including those on marine vessels, due to freezing sea spray in cold conditions. Leveraging novel sea spray flux algorithms and models developed at UiT, SPICE represent a leap forward in state of the art of ice prediction from sea spray.

User of Technology

  • Marine vessel designers
  • Shipping companies
  • Off-shore companies operating in cold climates
  • Certification companies such as the DNV Group AS

Value proposition

  • Fully automated
  • Predicts ice distribution depending on specific structures
  • Predicts both amount and distribution of ice
  • Based on 108k datapoints from more than 30 climate controlled experiments ensures high accuracy
  • Validated in lab scale

Resources and partners

  • Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology , UiT
  • Demo of tool available
Image: Icing of marine structures is a big challenge due to freezing sea spray in cold conditions.

Collaboration partners

Universitetet i Tromsø

Opportunities for Collaboration

We are currently looking for industry partners who finds interest in our technology. We are open for working together on the development of SPICE to accommodate your needs.

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Ingrid Skjæveland

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

ingrid@norinnova.no
Tlf. 991 57 143

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

Novel platform for live-imaging of cells in action

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay

About the technology

Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells in action and how they smartly tackle obstacles in our body. Cell movement or motility governs how cells migrate, invade, repair injuries, and develop tissues and organs. These processes are critical for a healthy, functioning body. Cell plasticity, in the form of individual or collective cell migration, has long-standing consequences and can help identify diseases and how much they have progressed. In the Cymoplive platform, cells are placed in a 3D maze where they need to overcome designed obstacles as they move through the maze. Cymoplive has a live-imaging friendly format compatible with all optical microscopes. The complexity of the maze can be customized based on the experimental setup and what is to be studied.

Value proposition

  • Live-imaging of process
  • Intelligence of cell movement can be studied
  • Mimics tissue environment with the 3D patterned obstacles matrix
  • Customisable physical environment
  • Customisable chemical environment
Image: Cymoplive is a unique cell migration assay platform that contains 3D obstacles in a solid hydrogel environment to study cell motility in a physiologically and functionally relevant environment.

Resources and partners

  • UiT Nanoscopy group
  • EU H2020-funded FET-Open RIA project OrganVision (EIC Pathfinder)
  • Proof of concept in a small-scale lab setting has been demonstrated
  • Patent application filed

Opportunities for Collaboration

We are currently looking for industry partners or potential users who finds interest in our technology. We are open for working together on the development of Cymoplive to accommodate your needs.

Image: The image shows how embryonic fibroblast cells are moving in the maze by changing their direction as they encounter obstacles on their path from high cell density to a low cell density region. In phase microscope, the morphological features of the cells can be observed and evaluated labelfree. In fluorescence microscopy, the molecular changes due to cells’ motility in the maze can be measured. Here we see how the actin cytoskeleton is modified to maneuver cells along the maze path.

Collaboration partners

Universitetet i Tromsø

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Ingrid Skjæveland

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

ingrid@norinnova.no
Tlf. 991 57 143

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

SMOLTR – Synchronizing seawater readiness of salmon smolt with seawater transfer

About the technology

SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology is superior to current commercially available options, this robust tool will ensure long-term salmonid growth and welfare in seawater. SMOLTR is based on a set of superior and precise markers that can predict seawater performance and can be used to synchronize the seawater readiness with seawater transfer. Thus, the animal welfare is superior with SMOLTR compared to state of the art.

Value proposition

  • Predicts smolt development state
  • Predicts long-term seawater survival and growth
  • Provides highly accurate results with regards to smolt seawater readiness with less bias and variation than state of the art
  • Animal welfare increased due to optimal timing of smolt transfer to seawater

Areas of application

  • Test before smolt is transferred to seawater
  • Tool to evaluate smoltification protocol optimizations within R&D for farmers
  • Could be offered by service and lab analytic providers serving the Aquaculture industry
  • Internal test by smolt producers

Resources and partners

  • Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT
  • Proof of concept validated in lab scale
  • Patent pending

Opportunities for Collaboration

We are currently looking for industry partners who finds interest in our technology. We are open for working together on the development of SMOLTR to accommodate your needs.

Collaboration partners

Universitetet i Tromsø

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Ingrid Skjæveland

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

ingrid@norinnova.no
Tlf. 991 57 143

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

PsyXpress, a unique protein expression platform

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress)

The challenge

The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity and yield during production. The PsyXpress platforms succeeds where other available expression systems fail. By establishing a new protein expression platform based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress), we have managed to express enzymes that companies are unable to produce with their existing methods.

Areas of application

Our platform can be used by producers of:

  • Therapeutic proteins
  • Industrial enzymes
  • Enzymes for research and diagnostics

 

Opportunities for Collaboration​

  • We are seeking collaborators with challenging targets that wants to test out our system
  • We are seeking partners that want to license our patented technology

Value proposition

PsyXpress consists of a novel bacterial expression host genetic tools and protocols enabling our customers to express commercially viable proteins not possible to express in other systems.

 

  • Patented technology
  • Industrial partners in place
Figure: The patented technology consists of a novel bacterial expression host, genetic tools and protocols enabling our customers to express commercially viable proteins not possible to express in other systems.

Collaboration partners

Universitetet i Tromsø
Stottet_av_Forskningsradet_logo_Engelsk_01_Weller_RGB
norinnova logo. Ikon.

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum / www.mariusfiskum.no

Morten Elde

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

morten@norinnova.no
Tlf. 414 06 762

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

Single-objective light-sheet imaging system (SOLIS)

Instant volume microscopy

The SOLIS Microscope

A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS efficiently removes parasitic light from out-of-focus planes that would bleed through between adjacent focal planes and degrade image contrast. 

SOLIS is posed to fill this technology gap between methods that offer the required speed and gentleness on the one hand, and usability and resolution on the other. A prototype has been successfully demonstrated and the technology has patent pending.

 

Value proposition

Being able to observe these tiny, yet fast, cell constituents in their natural environment would provide completely new insights into cellular function and potential starting points for cures of a whole range of diseases.

Opportunities for Collaboration

  • We are currently looking for commercial partners for licensing of the technology. 
Illustration of the SOLIS microscope. (a) Depicted in purple is the scanned oblique light-sheet path; green is the detection path over a multi-plane optical element onto a synchronised rolling shutter camera that consolidates the light paths through the sample volume, instantly producing a high-resolution volumetric image without parasitic light. (b) Conventional widefield and SOLIS images of mitochondria within human heart tissue. Virtually all parasitic out-of-focus light is removed by SOLIS and all z-planes were acquired simultaneously within 100 ms. Depth is colour coded.
Collaborators
Universitetet i Tromsø

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Lars Sørensen

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

lars@norinnova.no
Tlf. 942 45 511

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

Microstructured Air-Suspended Thin-film (MAST) waveguide sensor

Superior gas monitoring and measurement

Industry challenges

Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through which a light beam is reflected several times. These are bulky and require large volumes of the sample gas. Therefore, current technology is not compatible with use in small spaces or remote applications, such as drone-assisted environmental monitoring, mining or aerospace applications. 

Additionally, traditional devices cannot be used if only a small amount of sample is available or when small volumes are required for safety reasons (e.g., monitoring toxic substances).

Our solution

We are developing a MAST waveguide sensor for chip-based spectroscopic trace gas sensing. The waveguide is incorporated into a gas sensor chip, forming an on-chip sensing system that enables a drastic reduction on the size, weight of the instrument, and the necessary sample volume compared with current state-of-the-art gas sensors.

It is also the first on-chip sensor that differentiate between isotopes in a sample. As a commercial unit, it will have considerably lower cost and energy consumption than bulk-optics competitors.

 

The MAST waveguide is incorporated into a gas sensor chip, forming an on-chip sensing system.
The MAST waveguide gas sensor combines the sensitivity and performance of bulk optics with the size advantage of chip-based designs.

Collaboration opportunities

We are currently exploring potential applications and seeking partners for development and licensing.

Partners

Universitetet i Tromsø
image (5)
TFS_FARGE_NOR-HOR

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Bronwyn Smithies

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

bronwyn@norinnova.no
Tlf. 412 47 420

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

MUSICAL – Multiple Signal Classification Algorithms

- Multi-option distributed computing solutions for super-resolution imaging

The MUSICAL technology

MUSICAL is an imaging software that makes super-resolution optical microscopy available to specialized labs and clinics as a high-end premium GPU or embedded solution, or to laymans with their own personal microscopy data through an budget-conscious cloud solution.

The technology can be applied to both super-resolution microscopy raw data as well as data generated by conventional low-cost microscopes. The key advantage it provides is not needing any calibration in illumination engineered microscopes or special dyes for achieving super-resolution.

MUSICAL processing method to exploit the high spatial frequencies of illumination pattern to generate super-resolved image. In other words, processing super-resolution images from microscopes at an immense speed.

The MUSICAL solutions

  • Cloud solution (Beta-stage)

Lightweight software for super-resolution imaging tailored to low-cost microscopes.

  • GPU solution (under development)

Plug-and-play dongle providing state-of-the-art imaging with an additional edge in processing time

  • Embedded solution (to be developed)

MUSICAL as a built-in hardware solution with the microscope. Unlocking it’s full imaging capabilities

Opportunities for collaboration

  • Licensees for MUSICAL cloud solution
  • Collaborative R&D with industrial partner for MUSICAL GPU or MUSICAL Embedded solution
  • Patent pending
As compared to diffraction-limited image on the left, MUSICAL reconstructs the cristae (i.e., the empty spaces between the outer and inner membranes of mitochondria) with amazing number of details using only 100 images of diffraction-limited video.

Collaboration partners

Universitetet i Tromsø

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Lars Sørensen

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

lars@norinnova.no
Tlf. 942 45 511

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

Spermotile – A sophisticated tool for improved fertilization success rate

Sperm filtration for improved success rate of assisted reproduction technology

About the technology

With current automated or manual IVF methods focusing on motility, the chance of identifying a sperm for fertilization is high, but the likelihood of the selected sperm being the best is small. This means an inaccurate quality analysis that takes a toll on success rate and asks for multiple fertilization attempts.

Spermotile solves this issue by an ‘all-rounder’ sperm selection criterion that is morphologically healthy, motile and demonstrates desirable dynamic behavior, enabling that the sperms picked are of indeed high quality and highly likely to result into success in the first attempt. In turn, it translated to better throughput and leaner operating costs.

Value proposition

The spermotile is an end-to-end solution for selecting the best sperm automatically in terms of motility, morphology and behavior and performing the fertilization process with improved accuracy, efficiency, and success rate, while simultaneously providing a low-cost, ready to use, and low training option for the end user. Patent pending.

Opportunities for collaboration

  • Development and testing of Spermotile
  • Pilot-testing with customers
Illustrated comparison between Spermotile and current solutions’ processing of filtering dead, non-progressive, and haphazard semen to isolate the best quality sperm. Current CASA solutions use phase contrast microscopy (PCM) to identify and analyse sperm, restricting analysis of advanced sperm motility.

Collaborators

Universitetet i Tromsø

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Lars Sørensen

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

lars@norinnova.no
Tlf. 942 45 511

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

New therapeutic for liver disease, NASH

An unmet medical need

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of fatty liver disease that is expected to become the major cause of liver transplantation in the US by 2025. There is an enormous unmet medical need to treat the disease because of its high prevalence and lack of treatment options: there are currently no approved therapeutics for NASH. We are developing a novel therapeutic based on our unique knowledge of an intercellular pathway associated with NASH.

Areas of application

Over 25% of adults worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver, and 10-30% of these people will progress to the more serious disease, NASH. Our therapeutic targets this latter population, who currently have no approved treatment options beyond lifestyle changes.

Advantage

NASH has typically been complicated to treat because there are multiple challenges:

  • fat accumulation
  • inflammation
  • liver scarring

We use our knowledge of intercellular pathways to target all three disease hallmarks for the first time.

Opportunities for Collaboration

Our data in animals and human cells support targeting NASH via a newly-discovered intercellular pathway. We are open to partnering to accelerate pre-clinical and clinical development based on these promising results.

Universitetet i Tromsø

Contact information

Foto: Marius Fiskum

Bronwyn Smithies

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

bronwyn@norinnova.no
Tlf. 412 47 420

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …

Predicting relapse in Ulcerative Colitis patients

- A novel biomarker with the potential to improve the lives of millions of UC patients world-wide

About the technology

Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic autoimmune disorder of the colon characterized by alternating periods of remission and relapse. Disease flares occur in a random way and are currently unpredictable.

Our novel prognostic biomarker can identify patients with a high risk of relapsing, enabling clinicians to escalate treatment before the onset of symptoms and keep patients in remission (figure below). The test is based on mucosal samples from the colon, which might sounds challenging at first. However, endoscopy represent that mainstay evaluating the disease activity, meaning the test can be incorporated without need for additional endoscopies.

Market and competition

2.7 million people are carrying a UC diagnosis in Europe and US. According to the European Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (ECCO), about 48% of the prevalence is in remission during a typical year, representing a substantial market potential for our test

Currently there is no biomarkers on the market which can predict relapse in UC patients hence our biomarker is targeting an unmet clinical need.

Value proposition

UC patients

  • Fewer relapses
  • More well managed disease and quality of life

Healthcare system/Society

  • Hospital bedtime reductions, examinations, tests, etc
  • Reduce need of proctocolectomies
  •  
Figure: Long term goal by implementing the test ~50% of the UC patient population are experiencing relapse at any given time (left). Our ultimate goal is to create a prevalence shift by increasing the population in remission offering great benefits for patients and the healthcare system (right)

More about the test

  • Molecular – measuring expression ratio between two cytokines (qRT-PCR)
  • Based on mucosal samples from the colon sampled during routine endoscopies
  • Patent pending (2021)
  • Invention originates from the University hospital of North Norway
Figure: Basic principle of relapse test on a per patient level. Test will enable the clinician to stay ahead of the curve, escalating treatment before the flare up and keep the patient in remission (blue line). Time of treatment not shown for simplicity.

Opportunities for Collaboration

We are currently looking for a licensing partner to develop the project further with test design and clinical IVDR- approval.

Universitetet i Tromsø
image (5)
unn

Contact information

Thomas Seppola, Norinnova.
Foto: Marius Fiskum

Magnus Seppola

Forretningsutvikler | Tech Transfer

magnus@norinnova.no
Tlf. 951 12 385

Les om andre prosjekter:

A tool that predicts ice amount and distribution on marine structures About the technology Due to climate changes the Arctic marine territories …

CYMOPLIVE – Cyto-Motility and Cyto-Plasticity in Vitro Live-Cell Assay About the technology Cymoplive is a platform that allows us to study cells …

About the technology SMOLTR is a smolt-verification tool to be utilized in the smoltification process of salmon. Data indicates that this technology …

– Based on the Aliivibrio wodanis chassis (PsyXpress) The challenge The main challenge in protein production is to achieve optimal solubility, activity …

Instant volume microscopy The SOLIS Microscope A new type of fluorescence microscope that combines the best aspects of confocal with light-sheet microscopy. SOLIS …

Superior gas monitoring and measurement Industry challenges Traditional gas sensing with absorption spectroscopy uses large multi-pass cells containing a sample gas, through …