WON
LABORATORY AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY
POLYMERS
& NANOBIOMATERIALS
HISTORY & MISSION
Won
Laboratory specializes in fundamental polymer science and preclinical
proof-of-concept research directly related to the clinical applications of
polymeric nanomaterials.
During
Professor Wonʹs PhD and postdoctoral studies
from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, his research primarily focused on the
study of non-equilibrium block copolymer self-assemblies in both aqueous and
non-aqueous media. This included the investigation of polymer wormlike micelles
as well as polymer vesicles, also known as ʺpolymersomesʺ.
Since
the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, research conducted in Professor Won's
laboratory at Purdue University centered around polyelectrolytes. More
specifically, the focus was on studying the charge regulation behavior of weak
polyelectrolytes and exploring their applications in gene/siRNA delivery, as
well as the manipulation of charged colloids. Won Lab was one of the first
research groups to demonstrate the concept of ʺmicelleplexesʺ, which
are complexes formed between positively charged block copolymer micelles and
negatively charged DNA/RNA molecules.
Since the
mid-2010s, Won Laboratory has shifted its efforts towards prioritizing the
direct societal impact of their work while still addressing fundamental
scientific problems. Won Lab is currently focused on three specific
areas:
1.
Conducting
studies on the air-water interfacial behavior of block copolymer micelles, with
the goal of developing Polymer Lung Surfactant (PLS) therapy for the treatment
of respiratory distress syndrome.
2.
Developing
and conducting proof-of-concept studies on block copolymer-encapsulated radioluminescent nanoparticle formulations, aimed at
enhancing cancer radiotherapy. This approach is named as Radioluminescence
Therapy.
3.
Engaging
in the development and fundamental studies of statistically sequence-controlled
aliphatic copolyesters, including uniform poly(lactic-co-glycolic
acid) (PLGA), for the creation of next-generation long-acting
controlled-release drug formulations.
These areas of focus reflect Won Laboratoryʹs
commitment to addressing practical societal needs and advancing scientific
knowledge through their research activities. Credit for these advancements is
attributed to all current and
former members of the group.
REFEREED JOURNAL
PUBLICATIONS
1)
Sung-Ho Shin, Dhushyanth Viswanath, Kaustabh
Sarkar, Samruddhi Patil, Jaewon Lee, Mustafa Ahmed, You-Yeon Won, ʺX-ray-Induced
Paclitaxel Release from Paclitaxel-Loaded PEG-PLGA or PEG-PLA-Coated Radioluminescent Nanoparticles: Impact of Glycolide Comonomer, Polymer Molecular Weight, and
Fractionated Radiation Dosingʺ, submitted, 2025.
2)
Sung-Ho Shin, Dhushyanth Viswanath, Haley A. Harper,
Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen, Carli J. McMahan, Alex E. Schwimmer, Bennett D.
Elzey, You-Yeon Won, "Enhancing Intratumoral
Spread of Radioluminescent Nanoparticles via
Collagenase Functionalization for Radiation-Induced Photodynamic Cancer
Therapy", submitted, 2025.
3)
Taesuk Jun,
Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen, Xinzhe Jin, Sangyoon Kim, Hye Jin Oh, Seon Yeop Jung, Bennett D. Elzey, Seyoung
Kim, You-Yeon Won, "Intrapulmonary
Spreading of Pharyngeally Instilled Liquids: Impact
of Nanoparticle Concentration and PEG Lubrication in Polymer Lung Surfactant
Solutions", Molecular
Pharmaceutics accepted/in press, 2025 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5c00629).
4)
Joseph B. Mayer, Samruddhi
M. Patil, Sung-Ho Shin, Jin Yoo, You-Yeon Won, "Internal Water-Induced Acceleration, Chemical
Pathways, and Contributing Factors in the Degradation of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic
acid) (PLGA) Microparticles and Devicesʺ, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 11(7), 3932-3948,
2025 (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5c00419).
5)
Taesuk Jun, Sung-Ho Shin, You-Yeon Won, ʺEngineered
Polymeric Excipients for Enhancing the Stability of Protein Biologics:
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PNIPAM-PEG)
Block Copolymersʺ,
International Journal of Pharmaceutics 664, 124636, 2024 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124636).
6)
SeongHoon Jo, Soonjong Roh, Jaemin
Shim, Jiwoong Yu, Youngmee
Jung, Woo Young Jang, Bumjoon Seo, You-Yeon Won, Jin
Yoo, ʺModulating Thermo-Responsive
Characteristics of PLGA-PEG-PLGA Hydrogels via Manipulation of PLGA Monomer
Sequencesʺ, Biomacromolecules 25(8), 5374-5386, 2024 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00817).
7)
Seong Hwan Kim, Yoon Huh, Baek Sung Park, Kevin Injoe Jung, You-Yeon Won, Joona Bang, Hyun Wook Jung, ʺTuning Coffee-Ring Patterns of Sessile
Suspension Droplets via Encapsulation of Silica Particles with
Thermo-Responsive Block Copolymersʺ, Chemical Engineering
Journal 494, 152929, 2024 (DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.152929).
8)
Samruddhi M. Patil, You-Yeon Won, ʺEffect of
Monomer Sequence Distribution on the Glass Transition Temperature of Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)ʺ, Macromolecules
57(10), 4947-4962, 2024 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c00106).
9)
Taesuk Jun, Daniel J. Fesenmeier,
You-Yeon Won, ʺSurface Mechanical Behavior of Water-Spread Poly(styrene)-Poly(ethylene glycol) (PS-PEG) Cylindrical Micelles at the
Air-Water Interfaceʺ, ACS Applied Polymer Materials 6(4), 2054-2060, 2024 (DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.4c00109).
10)
Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Elliot
S. Cooper, You-Yeon Won, ʺOvercoming Limitations of Conventional Solvent
Exchange Methods: Achieving Monodisperse Non-Equilibrium Polymer Micelles
through Equilibration-Nanoprecipitation (ENP)ʺ, Journal of Colloid and
Interface Science 661, 861-869, 2024 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.01.167).
11)
Dhushyanth Viswanath, Jeehun
Park, Vincenzo J. Pizzuti, Rahul Misra, Sung-Ho Shin, Junsang
Doh, You-Yeon Won, ʺNanotechnology-Enhanced
Radiotherapy and the Abscopal Effect: Current Status and Challenges of
Nanomaterial-Based Radioimmunotherapyʺ, Wiley Interdisciplinary
Reviews - Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology 16(1), e1924, 2024 (DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1924).
12)
Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Hyun
Chang Kim, Seyoung Kim, You-Yeon Won, ʺDetermination
of Block Copolymer Micelle Core Tg
Using 1H NMR Transverse (T2) Relaxation
Measurements of Micelle Coronasʺ, Macromolecules 56(22), 9156-9163,
2023 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01486).
13) Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Seyoung Kim, You-Yeon
Won, ʺEffect of Temperature on the Air-Water Surface Mechanical Behavior
of Water-Spread Block Copolymer Micellesʺ, Soft Matter 19, 9269-9281, 2023 (DOI: 10.1039/D3SM01003A).
14)
Seyoung Kim, Sungwan Park, Daniel
J. Fesenmeier, You-Yeon Won, ʺExcipient-Free
Lyophilization of Block Copolymer Micelles for Potential Lung Surfactant
Therapy Applicationsʺ, International Journal of Pharmaceutics 646,
123476, 2023 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123476).
15)
Seyoung Kim, Sungwan Park, Daniel
J. Fesenmeier, Taesuk Jun, Kaustabh Sarkar, You-Yeon Won, ʺSurface
Pressure-Area Mechanics of Water-Spread Block Copolymer Micelle Monolayers at
the Air-Water Interface: Effect of Hydrophobic Block Chemistryʺ, Langmuir
39(38), 13546-13559, 2023
(DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01574).
16) Dhushyanth Viswanath, Sung-Ho Shin, Jin Yoo, Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen,
Haley A. Harper, Heidi E. Cervantes, Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon Won, ʺRadiation-Induced Photodynamic Therapy Using Calcium
Tungstate Nanoparticles and 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Prodrugʺ, Biomaterials
Science 11, 6311-6324, 2023 (DOI:
10.1039/D3BM00921A).
17)
Seyoung Kim, Minhwan Lee, Hyun
Chang Kim, YongJoo Kim, Won Bo Lee, You-Yeon Won, ʺDetermination
of Glass Transition Temperatures in Bulk and Micellar Nanoconfined Polymers by
Using Fluorescent Molecular Rotors as Probes for Changes in Free Volumeʺ, Macromolecules 56(16), 6290-6304, 2023 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c00968).
18)
Yun
Chang, Xuechao Cai, Ramizah
Syahirah, Yuxin Yao, Yang Xu, Gyuhyung
Jin, Vijesh J. Bhute, Sandra Torregrosa-Allen, Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon Won,
Qing Deng, Xiaoguang Wang, Omolola Eniola-Adefeso,
Xiaoping Bao, ʺCAR-Neutrophil Mediated
Delivery of Tumor-Microenvironment Responsive Nanodrugs for Glioblastoma
Chemo-Immunotherapyʺ, Nature
Communications 14, 2266, 2023 (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37872-4).
19)
Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Madathilparambil V. Suresh, Seyoung
Kim, Sungwan Park, Krishnan Raghavendran, You-Yeon
Won, ʺPolymer Lung Surfactants Attenuate Direct Lung Injury in Miceʺ, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
9(5), 2716-2730, 2023 (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00061).
20)
Dhushyanth Viswanath, You-Yeon Won, ʺCombining Radiotherapy (RT) and Photodynamic Therapy
(PDT): Clinical Studies on Conventional RT-PDT Approaches and Novel
Nanoparticle-Based RT-PDT Approaches under Preclinical Evaluationʺ, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 8(9),
3644-3658, 2022 (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00287).
21)
Kaustabh Sarkar, Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen, Bennett D. Elzey,
Sanjeev Narayanan, Mark P. Langer, Gregory A. Durm, You-Yeon Won, ʺEffect
of Paclitaxel Stereochemistry on X-ray-Triggered Release of Paclitaxel from
CaWO4/Paclitaxel-Coloaded PEG-PLA Nanoparticlesʺ, Molecular Pharmaceutics 19(8),
2776-2794, 2022 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00148). Correction:
Molecular Pharmaceutics 20(8),
4331-4334, 2023 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00510).
22)
Seyoung Kim, Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Sungwan Park, Sandra
E. Torregrosa-Allen, Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon
Won, ʺPulmonary
Pharmacokinetics of Polymer Lung Surfactants Following Pharyngeal
Administration in Miceʺ, Biomacromolecules 23(6), 2471-2484, 2022 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00221).
23)
Daniel J. Fesenmeier, Sungwan Park, Seyoung Kim,
You-Yeon Won, ʺSurface Mechanical Behavior of Water-Spread Poly(styrene)-Poly(ethylene glycol) (PS-PEG) Micelles at the Air-Water
Interface: Effect of Micelle Size and Polymer End/Linking Group Chemistryʺ,
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
617, 764-777, 2022 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.03.008).
24) Jin Yoo,
Dhushyanth Viswanath, You-Yeon Won, ʺStrategy
for Synthesis of Statistically Sequence-Controlled PEG-PLGA, and Effects of
Sequence Distribution on Interaction and Drug Release Propertiesʺ, ACS Macro Letters 10, 1510-1516, 2021
(DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00637).
25)
Samruddhi Patil, Jin Yoo, You-Yeon Won, ʺInvestigation
of the Mechanisms and Kinetics of DBU-Catalyzed PLGA Copolymerization via a
Full-Scale Population Balance Analysisʺ, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 60(41),
14865-14700, 2021 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03096).
26)
Anish P. Patel, Christopher R. Schorr, Dhushyanth
Viswanath, Kaustabh Sarkar, Natalie J. Streb,
Vincenzo J. Pizzuti, Rahul Misra, Jaewon Lee, You-Yeon Won, ʺPilot-Scale Optimization of the Solvent Exchange
Production and Lyophilization Processing of PEG-PLA Block
Copolymer-Encapsulated CaWO4 Radioluminescent
Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applicationsʺ,
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry
Research 60(19), 7082-7096, 2021 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.0c05852).
27)
You-Yeon Won, Doraiswami
Ramkrishna, ʺAddition to ʺRevised Formulation of Fickʹs,
Fourierʹs, and Newtonʹs
Laws for Spatially Varying Linear Transport Coefficientsʺʺ, ACS Omega 5(51), 33484-33487, 2020 (DOI:
10.1021/acsomega.0c02856).
28)
Jin Yoo, You-Yeon Won, ʺPhenomenology of the
Initial Burst Release of Drugs from PLGA Microparticlesʺ, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 6(11),
6053-6062, 2020 (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01228).
29)
Dong
Woo Kim, Grigori A. Medvedev, James M. Caruthers, Jun Young Jo, You-Yeon Won,
Jaewoo Kim, ʺEnhancement of Mechano-Sensitivity for
Spiropyran-Linked Poly(dimethylsiloxane) via Solvent
Swellingʺ,
Macromolecules 53(18), 7954-7961,
2020 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00985).
30)
Vincenzo J. Pizzuti, Dhushyanth Viswanath, Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen, Melanie P. Currie,
Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon Won, ʺBilirubin-Coated
Radio-Luminescent Particles for Radiation-Induced Photodynamic Therapyʺ, ACS Applied Bio Materials
3(8), 4858-4872, 2020 (DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c00354).
31)
Jaewon Lee, Jingyi Pan, Jaehun
Chun, You-Yeon Won, ʺUnexpected Conformational Behavior of Poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)-Poly(propylene
carbonate)-Poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PPEGMA-PPC-PPEGMA)
Amphiphilic Block Copolymers in Micellar Solution and at the Air-Water
Interfaceʺ, Journal of Colloid and
Interface Science 566, 304-315, 2020 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.01.080). Corrigendum: Journal
of Colloid and Interface Science 586, 596, 2021 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.10.126).
32)
Vincenzo J. Pizzuti, Rahul Misra, Jaewon Lee, Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen, Melanie P.
Currie, Scott R. Clark, Anish P. Patel, Christopher R. Schorr, Yava Jones-Hall,
Michael O. Childress, Jeannie M. Plantenga, Nicholas J. Rancilio, Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon Won, ʺFolic
Acid-Conjugated Radioluminescent Calcium Tungstate
Nanoparticles as Radio-Sensitizers
for Cancer Radiotherapyʺ, ACS
Biomaterials Science & Engineering 5(9), 4776-4789, 2019 (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b00773).
33)
You-Yeon Won, Doraiswami
Ramkrishna, ʺRevised Formulation of Fickʹs,
Fourierʹs, and Newtonʹs
Laws for Spatially Varying Linear Transport Coefficientsʺ, ACS Omega 4(6), 11215-11222, 2019 (DOI:
10.1021/acsomega.9b00736).
34)
Rahul Misra, Kaustabh
Sarkar, Jaewon Lee, Vincenzo J. Pizzuti, Deborah S. Lee, Melanie P. Currie,
Sandra E. Torregrosa-Allen, David E. Long, Gregory A. Durm, Mark P. Langer,
Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon Won, ʺRadioluminescent
Nanoparticles for Radiation-Controlled Release of Drugsʺ, Journal of Controlled Release 303,
237-252, 2019 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.04.033).
Corrigendum: Journal of Controlled
Release 356, 130, 2023
(DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.02.033).
35)
Byoungjin Chun, Jin Seok Park, Hyun Wook Jung, You-Yeon Won, ʺShear-Induced
Particle Migration and Segregation in Non-Brownian Bidisperse
Suspensions under Planar Poiseuille Flowʺ, Journal of Rheology 63(3), 437-453, 2019 (DOI: 10.1122/1.5065406).
36)
Hyun Chang Kim, Madathilparambil
V. Suresh, Vikas V. Singh, Davis Q. Arick, David A. Machado-Aranda, Krishnan
Raghavendran, You-Yeon Won, ʺPolymer Lung Surfactantsʺ, ACS Applied Bio Materials
1(3), 581-592, 2018 (DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.8b00061).
37)
Jaewon Lee, Sung
Duk Jo, Haejun Chung, Wooram
Um, Rohith Chandrasekar, Yun Hwa Choi, Vladmir M. Shalaev,
You-Yeon Won, ʺLaser-Induced CO2 Generation from Gold
Nanorod-Containing Poly(propylene carbonate)-Based
Block Polymer Micelles for Ultrasound Contrast Enhancementʺ, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 10(31), 26084-26098, 2018 (DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b09630).
38)
Hyun Chang Kim, Davis Q. Arick, You-Yeon Won, ʺAir-Water
Interfacial Properties of Chloroform-Spread versus Water-Spread Poly((D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic
acid)-block-ethylene glycol)
(PLGA-PEG) Polymersʺ, Langmuir 34(16),
4874-4887, 2018 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b00566).
39)
Hyun Chang Kim, You-Yeon Won, ʺClinical, Technological, and Economic Issues
Associated with Developing New Lung Surfactant Therapeuticsʺ, Biotechnology Advances 36(4), 1185-1193,
2018 (DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.03.017).
40)
Sung Duk Jo, Jaewon Lee, Min Kyung Joo, Vincenzo J.
Pizzuti, Nicholas J. Sherck, Slgi Choi, Beom Suk Lee,
Sung Ho Yeom, Sang Yoon Kim, Sun Hwa Kim, Ick Chan Kwon, You-Yeon Won, ʺPEG-PLA-Coated
and Uncoated Radio-Luminescent CaWO4 Micro- and Nanoparticles for
Concomitant Radiation and UV-A/Radio-Enhancement Cancer Treatmentsʺ, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
4(4), 1445-1462, 2018 (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b00119).
41)
Scott R. Clark, Keel Yong Lee, Hoyoung
Lee, Jawahar Khetan, Hyun Chang Kim, Yun Hwa Choi, Kwanwoo
Shin, You-Yeon Won, ʺDetermining the Effects of PEI Adsorption on the
Permeability of 1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/Bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate
Membranes under Osmotic Stressʺ, Acta
Biomaterialia 65, 317-326, 2018 (DOI:
10.1016/j.actbio.2017.10.027).
42)
Nicholas J. Sherck, You-Yeon Won, ʺA Simulation
Study on the Feasibility of Radiotherapy Dose Enhancement with Calcium
Tungstate and Hafnium Oxide Nano- and Microparticlesʺ, Medical Physics 44(12), 6583-6588, 2017
(DOI: 10.1002/mp.12588). An earlier and longer version of this article
(titled ʺA Simulation Study on the Feasibility
of Radio Enhancement Therapy with Calcium Tungstate and Hafnium Oxide
Nanoparticlesʺ) has been published in arXiv
(http://arxiv.org/abs/1608.05302).
43)
Seong-Eun
Kim, Bo-Ram Lee, Hohyeon Lee, Sung Duk Jo, Hyuncheol Kim, You-Yeon Won, Jeewon Lee, ʺNear-Infrared
Plasmonic Assemblies of Gold Nanoparticles with Multimodal Functions for
Targeted Cancer Theragnosisʺ, Scientific
Reports 7, 17327, 2017 (DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-17714-2).
44)
Hyun Chang Kim, Yun Hwa Choi, Wei Bu, Mati Meron, Binhua Lin, You-Yeon Won, ʺIncreased Humidity Can
Soften Glassy Langmuir Polymer Films by Two Mechanisms: Plasticization of the
Polymer Material, and Suppression of the Evaporation Cooling Effectʺ, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 19, 10663-10675, 2017 (DOI:
10.1039/C7CP00785J).
45)
Seong-Eun Kim, Sun Duk Jo, Koo Chul Kwon, You-Yeon
Won, Jeewon Lee, ʺGenetic Assembly of Double-Layered Fluorescent Protein
Nanoparticles for Cancer Targeting and Imagingʺ, Advanced Science 1600471, 2017 (DOI: ).
46)
Jaewon
Lee, Seulgi Choi, Ki Hyun Kim, Hock Gan Heng, Sandra
E. Torregrosa-Allen, Benjamin S. Ramsey, Bennett D. Elzey, You-Yeon Won, ʺNon-Toxic
Formulations of Scintillation Nanocrystals for Use as X-Ray Computed Tomography
(CT) Contrast Agentsʺ, Bioconjugate
Chemistry 28(1), 171-182, 2017 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00451).
47)
Nicholas J. Sherck, Hyun Chang Kim, You-Yeon Won, ʺElucidating
a Unified Mechanistic Scheme for the DBU-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerization
of Lactide to Poly(lactic acid), PLAʺ, Macromolecules 49(13), 4699-4713, 2016
(DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.6b00621).
48)
Sung Duk
Jo, Sook Hee Ku, You-Yeon Won, Sun Hwa Kim, Ick Chan
Kwon, ʺTargeted Nanotheranostics
for Future Personalized Medicine: Recent Progress in Cancer Therapyʺ, Theranostics
6(9), 1362-1377, 2016 (DOI: 10.7150/thno.15335).
49)
Jaewon Lee, Nicholas J. Rancilio, Jean M. Poulson,
You-Yeon Won, ʺBlock Copolymer-Encapsulated CaWO4
Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Formulation, and Characterizationʺ, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 8(13), 8608-8619, 2016 (DOI:
10.1021/acsami.6b00727).
50)
Hyun Chang Kim, Hoyoung Lee,
Jawahar Khetan, You-Yeon Won, ʺSurface Mechanical and Rheological
Behaviors of Biocompatible Poly((D,L-lactic acid-ran-glycolic acid)-block-ethylene glycol) (PLGA-PEG) and
Poly((D,L-lactic acid-ran-glycolic
acid-ran-ε-caprolactone)-block-ethylene glycol) (PLGACL-PEG)
Block Copolymers at the Air-Water Interfaceʺ, Langmuir 31(51), 13821-13833, 2015 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03622).
51)
Davis Q. Arick, Yun Hwa Choi, Hyun Chang Kim, You-Yeon
Won, ʺEffects of Nanoparticles on the Mechanical Functioning of the Lungʺ,
Advances in Colloid and Interface Science
225, 218-228, 2015 (DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2015.10.002).
52)
Hoyoung Lee, Jaewon Lee, Jaeyoung
Park, Taewook Kwon, Seunggweon
Hong, You-Yeon Won, ʺCO2-Producing Polymer Micellesʺ, Polymer Degradation and Stability 120,
149-157, 2015 (DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2015.07.002).
53)
Hyun Chang Kim, Hoyoung Lee,
Hyunjung Jung, Yun Hwa Choi, Mati Meron, Binhua Lin, Joona Bang, You-Yeon Won, ʺHumidity-Dependent
Compression-Induced Glass Transition of the Air-Water Interfacial Langmuir
Films of Poly(D,L-lactic acid-ran-glycolic acid) (PLGA)ʺ, Soft Matter 11, 5666-5677, 2015 (DOI:
10.1039/C4SM02535K).
54)
Hyungsu Kim, Jaegeun Lee, You-Yeon
Won, ʺA Simple Derivation of the Critical Condition for the Ultrasonic
Atomization of Polymer Solutionsʺ Ultrasonics
61, 20-24, 2015 (DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2015.04.007).
55)
Vasilios Tsouris, Min Kyung
Joo, Sun Hwa Kim, Ick Chan Kwon, You-Yeon Won, ʺNano Carriers That Enable
Co-Delivery of Chemotherapy and RNAi Agents for Treatment of Drug-Resistant
Cancersʺ, Biotechnology Advances
32(5), 1037-1050, 2014 (DOI:
56)
Hoyoung Lee, Vasilios Tsouris, Yunho Lim, Rafid Mustafa, Je Choi, Yun Hwa Choi, Hae-Woong
Park, Mati Meron, Binhua Lin, You-Yeon Won, ʺMacroscopic
Lateral Heterogeneity Observed in a Laterally-Mobile
Immiscible Mixed Polyelectrolyte/Neutral Polymer Brushʺ, Soft Matter 10, 3771-3782, 2014 (DOI: 10.1039/C4SM00022F).
57)
Hoyoung Lee, Yeji Kim, Patrick G. Schweickert, Stephen F.
Konieczny, You-Yeon Won, ʺA Photo-Degradable Gene Delivery System for
Enhanced Nuclear Gene Transcriptionʺ, Biomaterials
35(3), 1040-1049, 2014 (DOI:
58)
You-Yeon Won, Hoyoung Lee, ʺʺpH
Phoresisʺ: A New Concept That Can Be Used for
Improving Drug Delivery to Cancer Cellsʺ, Journal of Controlled Release 170(3), 396-400, 2013 (DOI:
10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.06.016). See ʺNanoparticles, ʹpH phoresisʹ could improve cancer drug deliveryʺ
in Purdue News (July 8, 2013).
59)
Dana J. Gary, Jungbin Min, Youngwook Kim, Keunchil Park,
You-Yeon Won, ʺThe Effect of N/P Ratio on the In Vitro and In Vivo
Interaction Properties of PEGylated Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl
methacrylate)-Based siRNA Complexesʺ, Macromolecular Bioscience
13(8), 1059-1071, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201300046).
60)
Hae-Woong Park, Je Choi, Kimberly Ohn, Hyunsuk Lee, Jin Woong Kim, You-Yeon Won, ʺStudy of
the Air-Water Interfacial Properties of Biodegradable Polyesters and Their
Block Copolymers with Poly(ethylene glycol)ʺ, Langmuir 28(31), 11555-11566, 2012 (DOI: 10.1021/la300810q).
61)
Hoyoung Lee, Dae Hwan Kim, Kevin N. Witte, Kimberly Ohn, Je
Choi, Bulent Akgun, Sushil Satija, You-Yeon
Won, ʺWater is a Poor Solvent for Densely Grafted Poly(ethylene
oxide) Chains: A Conclusion Drawn from a Self-Consistent Field Theory-Based
Analysis of Neutron Reflectivity and Surface Pressure-Area Isotherm Dataʺ,
Journal of Physical Chemistry B
116(24), 7367-7378, 2012 (DOI: 10.1021/jp301817e).
62)
Hoyoung Lee, Dae Hwan Kim, Hae-Woong Park, Nathan A. Mahynski, Kyungil Kim, Mati
Meron, Binhua Lin, You-Yeon Won, ʺReduced Water
Density in a Poly(ethylene oxide) Brushʺ, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 3, 1589-1595, 2012 (DOI: 10.1021/jz3002772).
63)
Dae Hwan Kim, Alexander Wei, You-Yeon Won, ʺPreparation
of Super-Stable Gold Nanorods via Encapsulation into Block Copolymer Micellesʺ,
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
4(4), 1872-1877, 2012 (DOI: 10.1021/am300198v).
64)
Rikkert J. Nap, You-Yeon Won, Igal Szleifer,
ʺConfinement Induced Lateral Segregation of Polymer Coated Nanospheresʺ,
Soft Matter 8(5), 1688-1700, 2012
(DOI: 10.1039/c2sm06549e).
65)
Dae Hwan Kim, You-Yeon Won, ʺIn Situ-Polymerized
Carbon Nanotube/Polyimide Nanocomposites: Effect of Reaction Stoichiometry on
the Glass Transition Properties of the Nanocompositesʺ, Macromolecular Reaction Engineering 6(1),
45-56, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/mren.201100027). This article has been
highlighted on the front cover of the journal.
66)
Dana J. Gary, Hoyoung Lee,
Rahul Sharma, Jae-Sung Lee, Youngwook Kim, Zheng Yun
Cui, Di Jia, Valorie D. Bowman, Paul R. Chipman, Lei Wan, Yi Zou, Guangzhao Mao, Keunchil Park,
Brittney-Shea Herbert, Stephen F. Konieczny, You-Yeon Won, ʺInfluence of
Nano-Carrier Architecture on In Vitro siRNA Delivery Performance and In Vivo
Biodistribution: Polyplexes vs. Micelleplexesʺ, ACS Nano 5(5), 3493-3505, 2011 (DOI:
10.1021/nn102540y).
67)
Hoyoung Lee, Sang Ha Son, Rahul Sharma, You-Yeon Won, ʺA
Discussion of the pH-Dependent Protonation Behaviors of Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl
methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and Poly(ethylenimine-ran-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (P(EI-r-EOz))ʺ, Journal
of Physical Chemistry B 115(5), 844-860, 2011 (DOI: 10.1021/jp109151s).
68)
Umesh S. Kestur, Hoyoung Lee, Darlene Santiago, Carlos Rinaldi, You-Yeon
Won, Lynne S. Taylor, ʺEffects of the Molecular Weight and Concentration
of Polymer Additives, and Temperature on the Melt Crystallization Kinetics of a
Small Drug Moleculeʺ, Crystal Growth
& Design 10(8), 3585-3595, 2010 (DOI:
10.1021/cg1004853).
69)
Jaehyun Hur, Nathan A. Mahynski,
You-Yeon Won, ʺCrystallization of Bidisperse
Repulsive Colloids in Two-Dimensional Space: A Study of Model Systems
Constructed at the Air-Water Interfaceʺ, Langmuir 26(14), 11737-11749, 2010 (DOI:
10.1021/la101313r).
70)
Kevin N. Witte, Sumit Kewalramani, Ivan Kuzmenko, Wei
Sun, Masafumi Fukuto, You-Yeon Won, ʺFormation
and Collapse of Single-Monomer-Thick Monolayers of Poly(n-Butyl Acrylate) at the Air-Water
Interfaceʺ, Macromolecules
43(6), 2990-3003, 2010 (DOI: 10.1021/ma901842q).
71)
Jaehyun Hur, Kevin N. Witte, Wei Sun, You-Yeon Won, ʺOn
the Origins of the Salt-Concentration-Dependent Instability and Lateral
Nanoscale Heterogeneities of Weak Polyelectrolyte Brushes: Gradient Brush
Experiment, and Flory-Type Theoretical Analysisʺ, Langmuir 26(3), 2021-2034, 2010 (DOI: 10.1021/la902549b).
72)
You-Yeon Won, Rahul Sharma, Stephen F. Konieczny, ʺMissing
Pieces in Understanding the Intracellular Trafficking of Polycation/DNA
Complexesʺ, Journal of Controlled
Release 139(2), 88-93, 2009 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2009.06.031).
Erratum: Journal of Controlled Release 152(2),
326, 2009 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.04.003).
73)
Kevin N. Witte, Sangtae Kim,
You-Yeon Won, ʺSelf-Consistent Field Theory Study of the Effect of
Grafting Density on the Height of a Weak Polyelectrolyte Brushʺ, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 113(32),
11076-11084, 2009 (DOI: 10.1021/jp809814j).
74)
Kevin N. Witte, Jaehyun Hur,
Wei Sun, Sangtae Kim, You-Yeon Won, ʺEvidence of
Lateral Nanoscale Heterogeneities in Weak Polyelectrolyte Brushesʺ, Macromolecules 41(23), 8960-8963, 2008
(DOI: 10.1021/ma801412u).
75)
Rahul Sharma, Jae-Sung Lee, Ryan C. Bettencourt, Chuan
Xiao, Stephen F. Konieczny, You-Yeon Won, ʺEffects of the Incorporation of a Hydrophobic Middle Block into a
PEG-Polycation Diblock Copolymer on the
Physicochemical and Cell Interaction Properties of the Polymer-DNA Complexesʺ,
Biomacromolecules 9(11), 3294-3307,
2008 (DOI: 10.1021/bm800876v).
76)
Jaehyun Hur, You-Yeon
Won, ʺFabrication of High-Quality
Non-Close-Packed 2D Colloid Crystals by Template-Guided Langmuir-Blodgett (LB)
Particle Depositionʺ, Soft
Matter 4(6), 1261-1269, 2008 (DOI: 10.1039/b716218a). See ʺSelf-assembling Method Could Lead to
Inexpensive Diamond-like Crystals for Technologyʺ in
ScienceDaily (April 22, 2008). This article was one of the ten most downloaded
Soft Matter articles for April 2010 (http://www.rsc.org/publishing/journals/sm/top10.asp)
77)
Jaehyun Hur, You-Yeon Won, ʺTwo-Dimensional Colloid
Crystals Templated by Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Patternsʺ, Langmuir 24(10), 5382-5392, 2008 (DOI: 10.1021/la704050t).
78)
Kevin N. Witte, You-Yeon
Won, ʺEffect of Interfacial Curvature on Mixed Polyelectrolyte and Neutral
Polymer Brushes: An SCF Numerical Analysisʺ, Macromolecules 41(7), 2735-2738, 2008 (DOI: 10.1021/ma071682e).
79)
Yinyan Zhao, M.
Teresa Carvajal, You-Yeon Won, Michael T. Harris, ʺPreparation of Calcium
Alginate Microgel Beads by an Electrodispersion
Reactor Using an Internal Source of Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticlesʺ, Langmuir 23(25), 12489-12496, 2007 (DOI: 10.1021/la701795y).
80)
Donghui Zhu, Mark A. Haidekker, Jae-Sung Lee,
You-Yeon Won, James C.-M. Lee, ʺApplication of Molecular Rotors to the
Determination of the Molecular Weight-Dependence of Viscosity in Polymer Meltsʺ,
Macromolecules 40(21), 7730-7732, 2007 (DOI: 10.1021/ma0702288).
81)
Dana J. Gary, Nitin Puri, You-Yeon Won, ʺPolymer-Based
siRNA Delivery: Perspectives on the Fundamental and Phenomenological
Distinctions from Polymer-Based DNA Deliveryʺ, Journal of Controlled Release 121(1-2), 64-73, 2007 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2007.05.021).
82)
Kevin
N. Witte, You-Yeon Won, ʺSelf-Consistent-Field
Analysis of Mixed Polyelectrolyte and Neutral Polymer Brushesʺ, Macromolecules
39(22), 7757-7768, 2006 (DOI:
10.1021/ma0608370).
83)
Rahul Sharma, Ayush Goyal, James M. Caruthers,
You-Yeon Won, ʺInhibitive
Chain Transfer to Ligand in the ATRP of n-Butyl Acrylateʺ, Macromolecules
39(14), 4680-4689, 2006 (DOI: 10.1021/ma060374y).
84)
You-Yeon Won, Steve P. Meeker, Veronique Trappe, David
A. Weitz, Nancy Z. Diggs, Jacob I. Emert, ʺEffect of Temperature on Carbon
Black Agglomeration in Hydrocarbon Liquid with Adsorbed Dispersantʺ, Langmuir 21(4), 924-932, 2005 (DOI:
10.1021/la047906t).
85)
Patrick E. Trapa, You-Yeon Won, Simon C. Mui, Elsa A.
Olivetti, Biying Huang, Donald R. Sadoway,
Anne M. Mayes, Steven Dallek, ʺRubbery Graft Copolymer Electrolytes for
Solid-State, Thin-Film Lithium Batteriesʺ, Journal of the Electrochemical Society 152(1), A1-A5, 2005 (DOI:
10.1149/1.1824032).
86)
You-Yeon Won, ʺImaging Nanostructured Fluids
Using Cryo-TEMʺ, Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering 21(1),
296-302, 2004 (DOI: 10.1007/BF02705412). This article has been
referenced in an STTR call from the US Army, titled ʺNanoscale In-Solution
TEM Sample Stage with Manipulation Capability (A08-T029)ʺ (January
22, 2008).
87)
You-Yeon Won, H. Ted Davis, Frank S. Bates, ʺMolecular
Exchange in PEO-PB Micelles in Waterʺ, Macromolecules 36(3),
953-955, 2003 (DOI: 10.1021/ma021439+).
88)
Maria M. Santore, Dennis E. Discher, You-Yeon Won,
Frank S. Bates, Daniel A. Hammer, ʺEffect of Surfactant on Unilamellar Polymeric Vesicles: Altered Membrane Properties
and Stability in the Limit of Weak Surfactant Partitioningʺ, Langmuir
18(20), 7299-7308, 2002 (DOI: 10.1021/la0201319).
89)
Jonathan F. Hester, Pallab Banergee,
You-Yeon Won, Ariya Akthakul, Metin H. Acar, Anne M.
Mayes, ʺATRP of Amphiphilic Graft Copolymers Based on PVDF and Their Use
as Membrane Additivesʺ, Macromolecules 35(20), 7652-7661, 2002
(DOI: 10.1021/ma0122270).
90)
Patrick E. Trapa, Biying Huang, You-Yeon Won, Donald
R. Sadoway, Anne M. Mayes, ʺBlock Copolymer
Electrolytes Synthesized by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for
Solid-State, Thin-Film Lithium Batteriesʺ, Electrochemical and Solid-State
Letters 5(5), A85-A88, 2002 (DOI: 10.1149/1.1461996).
91)
You-Yeon Won, Aaron K. Brannan, H. Ted Davis, Frank S.
Bates, ʺCryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM) of Micelles
and Vesicles Formed in Water by Poly(ethylene
oxide)-based Block Copolymersʺ, Journal of Physical Chemistry B
106(13), 3354-3364, 2002 (DOI: 10.1021/jp013639d).
92)
Bohdana M. Discher, Harry Bermudez, Daniel A. Hammer,
Dennis E. Discher, You-Yeon Won, Frank S. Bates, ʺCrosslinked Polymersome Membranes: Vesicles with Broadly Adjustable
Stabilityʺ, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 106(11), 2848-2854,
2002 (DOI: 10.1021/jp011958z).
93)
You-Yeon Won, Kristofer Paso, H. Ted Davis, Frank S.
Bates, ʺComparison of Original and Cross-linked Wormlike Micelles of Poly(ethylene oxide-b-butadiene) in Water: Rheological
Properties and Effects of Poly(ethylene oxide) Additionʺ, Journal of
Physical Chemistry B 105(35), 8302-8311, 2001 (DOI: 10.1021/jp004078d).
94)
James C.-M. Lee, Harry Bermudez, Bohdana M. Discher,
Maureen A. Sheehan, You-Yeon Won, Frank S. Bates, Dennis E. Discher, ʺPreparation,
Stability, and In Vitro Performance
of Vesicles Made from Diblock Copolymersʺ, Biotechnology
and Bioengineering 73(2), 135-145, 2001 (DOI: 10.1002/bit.1045).
95)
Byeongmoon Jeong, Merinda R. Kibbey, Jerome C. Birnbaum,
You-Yeon Won, Anna Gutowska, ʺThermogelling
Biodegradable Polymers with Hydrophilic Backbones: PEG-g-PLGAʺ, Macromolecules
33(22), 8317-8322, 2000 (DOI: 10.1021/ma000638v).
96)
You-Yeon Won, H. Ted Davis, Frank S. Bates, Michael Agamalian, George D. Wignall, ʺSegment Distribution of
the Micellar Brushes of Poly(ethylene oxide) via
Small-Angle Neutron Scatteringʺ, Journal of Physical Chemistry B
104(30), 7134-7143, 2000 (DOI: 10.1021/jp000457v). Addition/Correction:
Journal of Physical Chemistry B 104(38), 9054-9054, 2000 (DOI:
10.1021/jp002934f).
97)
Yi Zheng, You-Yeon Won, Frank S. Bates, H. Ted Davis,
L. E. (Skip) Scriven, Yeshayahu (Ishi) Talmon, ʺDirectly Resolved
Core-Corona Structure of Block Copolymer Micelles by Cryo-Transmission Electron
Microscopyʺ, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 103(47), 10331-10334,
1999 (DOI: 10.1021/jp9923264).
98)
Bohdana M. Discher, You-Yeon Won, David S. Ege, James
C.-M. Lee, Frank S. Bates, Dennis E. Discher, Daniel A. Hammer, ʺPolymersomes: Vesicles Made from Diblock
Copolymersʺ, Science 284 (5417), 1143-1146, 1999 (DOI:
10.1126/science.284.5417.1143).
99)
You-Yeon Won, H. Ted Davis, Frank S. Bates, ʺGiant
Wormlike Rubber Micellesʺ, Science 283 (5404), 960-963, 1999 (DOI:
10.1126/science.283.5404.960).
BOOK
CHAPTERS
100) You-Yeon Won, Frank S. Bates, ʺNonionic Block
Copolymer Wormlike Micellesʺ, in Giant
Micelles: Properties and Applications (Editors: R. Zana, E. W. Kaler), CRC
Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL, 2007.
PUBLISHED PATENTS
101) (a) ʺRadioluminescent Nanoparticles for Radiation-Triggered
Controlled Release Drugsʺ You-Yeon Won, Rahul Misra, Jaewon Lee, pending U.S. Provisional Patent, Application No.
62/556,289, PRF Reference No. 68028-01, filed on September 8, 2017. (b) ʺRadioluminescent Nanoparticles for Radiation-Triggered
Controlled Release Drugsʺ You-Yeon Won, Rahul Misra, Jaewon Lee, Kaustabh Sarkar, Vincenzo J. Pizzuti, pending PCT/U.S. Patent, Application No.
18/49823, PRF Reference No. 68028-02, filed on
September 7, 2018.
102) (a) ʺPolymer
Lung Surfactantsʺ You-Yeon Won, Hyun Chang Kim, pending U.S. Provisional Patent, Application No.
62/374,325, PRF Reference No.
67605-01, filed on August
12, 2016. (b) ʺPolymer
Lung Surfactantsʺ You-Yeon Won, Hyung Chang Kim, pending PCT/U.S.
Patent, Application No. 17/46426, PRF Reference No. 67605-02, filed on August 11, 2017. (c) ʺPolymer
Lung Surfactantsʺ You-Yeon Won, Hyun Chang Kim, pending U.S.
Continuation-in-Part Patent, Application No. 15881723, PRF Reference
No. 67605-03, filed on
January 26, 2018.
103) (a) ʺRadio-Luminescent
Particles for Enhancement of Radiation Cancer Therapyʺ, You-Yeon Won, Min
Kyung Joo, Beom Suk Lee, Sang Yoon Kim, pending
U.S. Provisional Patent, Application
No. 62/101,275, PRF Reference No. 78695.P1.US, filed on January 8, 2015. (b) ʺRadio-Luminescent
Particles for Enhancement of Radiation Cancer Therapyʺ, You-Yeon Won,
Jaewon Lee, Sung Du Jo, Min Kyung Joo, Beom Suk Lee, Sang Yoon Kim, Sun Hwa
Kim, pending PCT/U.S. Patent, Application No.
16/12616, PRF Reference No. 67028-03, filed on January 8, 2016. (c) ʺNon-Toxic
Formulations of Radio-Luminescent Nanoparticles for Use as Cancer
Radio-Sensitizing Agentsʺ You-Yeon Won, Jaewon Lee, pending PCT/U.S.
Patent, Application No. 16/12684, PRF Reference No. 67028-02, filed on
January 8, 2016. (d) ʺNon-Toxic Formulations of Radio-Luminescent
Nanoparticles for Use as Cancer Radio-Sensitizing Agentsʺ You-Yeon Won,
Jaewon Lee, nationalized in
the U.S. on July 8, 2017 (PRF Reference No. 67028-04). (e) ʺNon-Toxic
Formulations of Radio-Luminescent Nanoparticles for Use as Cancer
Radio-Sensitizing Agentsʺ You-Yeon Won, Jaewon Lee, nationalized in the E.U. on August 8, 2017 (PRF
Reference No. 67028-05).
104) (a) ʺPoly(alkylene carbonate)-Based Amphiphilic Block
Copolymers and Methods of Use Thereofʺ, You-Yeon Won, Hoyoung
Lee, Jaewon Lee, Jaeyoung Park, Seunggweon
Hong, pending U.S. Provisional Patent, Application No.
62/078,738, PRF Reference No. 78595.P1.US, filed on November 12,
2014. (b) ʺPoly(alkylene carbonate)-Based Amphiphilic Block Copolymers
and Methods of Use Thereofʺ, You-Yeon Won, Hoyoung
Lee, Jaewon Lee, Jaeyoung Park, Seunggweon
Hong, pending PCT/U.S. Patent, Application No.
15/60430, PRF Reference No. 66901-02, filed on November 12, 2015. (c) ʺPoly(alkylene
carbonate)-Based Amphiphilic Block Copolymers and Methods of Use Thereofʺ,
You-Yeon Won, Hoyoung Lee, Jaewon Lee, Jaeyoung Park, Seunggweon Hong, nationalized in the U.S. on May 12, 2017 (PRF Reference
No. 66901-03).
105) (a) ʺPreparation of Super-Stable Gold Nanorods via
Encapsulation into Block Copolymer Micellesʺ, You-Yeon Won, Dae Hwan Kim, pending U.S. Provisional Patent, Application No.
61/619,548, PRF Reference No. 66166.P1.US, filed on April 3, 2012. (b) ʺBlock
Copolymer (BCP) Encapsulated Nanoparticles and Methods of Use Thereofʺ, You-Yeon Won, Dae Hwan Kim, Ronald P.
Andres, pending U.S. Patent,
Application No. 13/837,705, PRF Reference No. 66166-02, filed on March 15,
2013, granted on October 10, 2017.
106) ʺCross-linked
Polymersomes and Related Encapsulating Membranesʺ,
Dennis E. Discher, Bohdana M. Discher, You-Yeon Won, James C.-M. Lee, Frank S.
Bates, Daniel A. Hammer, U.S. Patent
No. 7,867,512, filed on February 20, 2007, granted on January 11, 2011.
107) ʺPolymersomes and Related Encapsulating Membranesʺ,
Dennis E. Discher, Bohdana M. Discher, You-Yeon Won, James C.-M. Lee, Frank S.
Bates, Daniel A. Hammer, U.S. Patent
No. 7,217,427 B2, filed on July 1, 2004, granted on May 15, 2007.
108) ʺPolymersomes and Related Encapsulating Membranesʺ,
Dennis E. Discher, Bohdana M. Discher, You-Yeon Won, James C.-M. Lee, Frank S.
Bates, Daniel A. Hammer, U.S. Patent
No. 6,835,394, filed
December 14, 1999, granted on December 28, 2004.