
Art by Evan Johnson
April 1, 2025
University of Missouri inventors and researchers generate new knowledge and original ideas that educate students and serve the public good. Their work often is the basis for new products and startup businesses that fuel economic growth and prosperity.
Often inventors and researchers say that what motivates them most is having a positive impact on the quality of life, and that’s where professionals in Mizzou’s Technology Advancement office come in.
“The role of Technology Advancement is to partner with researchers, industry, entrepreneurs and investors to turn university innovations into commercial products and services,” said Michele Kennett, associate vice chancellor for research compliance and integrity. “By facilitating the transfer of innovations to benefit society, they help increase the impact of academic research.”
The process starts when researchers who think they have an innovation with commercial potential submit a confidential Invention Disclosure Form to Technology Advancement. In calendar year 2024, investigators disclosed more than 100 inventions, which the team evaluated for novelty, utility and market potential.

German company Erler-Zimmer licensed the rights to produce IV training arms for students in medical professions using Mizzou's know-how and production methods developed by inventor Damon Coyle.
Technical expertise from Mizzou inventors and an analysis of scientific and patent literature, possible competitors and other factors guide the Technology Advancement team’s marketing and intellectual property strategies.
In most cases, an invention with a patent, copyright, trademark or other protection is an incentive for a company to invest in commercializing it. This intellectual property also can lead to successful grant proposals, new funding opportunities and partnerships that increase the odds that the research will result in a product or service.
Two Mizzou commercial products recently had first sales: an adult training arm used by students in medical professions to practice IV administration and UMCA® PQK chestnut seedlings from a hybrid chestnut tree.

Mizzou's Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center developed the UMCA® PQK chestnut trees.
The Erler-Zimmer company licensed and is selling the realistic training arm, designed by Damon Coyle, simulation innovation specialist at the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Clinical Simulation Center.
"There are many adult IV arms on the market, but most are male; ours is female," said Dena Higbee, Sheldon Center director. "It also stands out because of the quality of skin performance and feel, self-healing qualities for a greater number of IV attempts, easy maintenance and realistic flashback. Tech transfer has been a great partner in helping move items outside of the walls of the university and our own training purposes."
Last year, the University of Missouri was granted 23 U.S. patents for a variety of faculty and staff inventions, including plant and animal biotechnology, devices, tools, therapeutics, diagnostics, software and engineering solutions. Industry partners interested in further developing a Mizzou invention sign licensing agreements.
Sam Bish, senior technology transfer manager, said the Technology Advancement office executed the university's first-ever nut tree license agreement for UMCA® PQK Chestnuts.
"The chestnut industry is growing quickly in the eastern and midwestern U.S., doubling in acreage from 2017-22," said Ron Revord, assistant research professor in the School of Natural Resources and interim director of the MU Center for Agroforestry. "We've had a great experience working with Sam to add tree nut releases to his office's scope."
Learn more by contacting the Technology Advancement office at 573-882-6013 or techadvancement@missouri.edu.
2024 Research milestones
105
23
$1,776,159
U.S. PATENTS ISSUED |
Animal and plant biotechnology |
CRISPR therapy (Patent No. 12,152,242)
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Homologous recombination via transcriptional activation (Patent No. 11,932,858)
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Improved ultra-fast cooling system (Patent No. 11,937,596)
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Increasing plant oil content by altering a negative regulator of acetyl-coa carboxylase (Patent No. 11,959,087)
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Small auxin upregulated gene for the improvement of root system architecture, waterlogging tolerance, drought resistance and yield in plants (Patent No. 11,905,518)
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Computer software |
Systems and methods to improve management and monitoring of cardiovascular disease (Patent No. 12,102,415 and Patent No. 12,156,718)
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Diagnostics and detection |
Microfluidic device for capture of micrometer scale objects (Patent No. 11,890,616)
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Therapeutics and treatments |
Amphiphilic peptide chaperones (Patent No. 11,911,436)
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Immunomodulation for the long-term prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases and foreign tissue rejection (Patent No. 12,023,367)
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Liquid collagen bioinks and methods to make and use collagen structures (Patent No. 12,167,965)
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Neuromuscular blocking agents (Patent No. 12,168,652)
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Triblock peptide amphiphiles and micelles (Patent No. 12,006,350)
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Engineering solutions |
Area selective nanoscale-thin layer deposition via precise functional group lithography (Patent No. 12,000,037)
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Forming conformable nanoscale coating on substrates (Patent No. 12,060,272)
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Programmable metasurface for real-time control of broadband elastic rays (Patent No. 11,978,430)
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Three-phase oscillating heat pipe (Patent No. 12,104,854)
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Devices and tools |
Heat exchanging liquid container (Patent No. 11,857,112)
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Drawn fused filament fabrication printing (Patent No. 12,103,222)
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Knee flexion device (Patent No. 12,005,018)
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Nursing multiskill training pad (Design Patent No. D1,025,206 )
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Thermal liquid container system (Patent No. 11,952,197)
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Tissue preservation system (Patent No. 11,864,554)
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*No longer at Mizzou