NDSU Research Foundation

🌸Small in size, big on color.

Dakota Goldcharm® Spirea brightens the landscape from spring through fall with foliage that emerges golden-bronze, matures to a brilliant golden-yellow, and finishes the season with rich reddish-bronze tones. Its compact, mound-shaped habit is covered with clusters of bright pink flowers in early summer, creating a striking contrast against the golden foliage.

Exceptionally hardy and easy to grow, Dakota Goldcharm® is an excellent choice for borders, rock gardens, mass plantings, and flowering groundcovers throughout the northern plains and beyond.

Discover more innovative cultivars from NDSU here: https://technologies.ndsuresearchfoundation.org/?tech_cat=Horticulture

NDSU Plant Sciences NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University researchers, Roberto Gomes and Allana Martins have developed Selective COPZ1 inhibitors target tumor cells, inducing apoptosis by disrupting Golgi and ER trafficking.

The Coatomer Protein Complex Subunit Zeta 1 (COPZ1) and Coatomer Protein Complex Subunit Zeta 2 (COPZ2) are crucial components of the coatomer protein complex involved in vesicular trafficking between the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). COPZ1 is expressed similarly in both healthy and tumor cells, while COPZ2 is downregulated in tumor cells, making these cells more dependent on COPZ1. Therefore, selective inhibition of COPZ1 presents a potential strategy for targeted anti-cancer therapy.

This technology involves novel compounds that selectively inhibit COPZ1, leading to the disruption of the Golgi complex and ER in COPZ2-deficient tumor cells, thus inducing apoptosis. The compounds have been tested and shown to be effective in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, selectively killing these cells while sparing normal pancreatic cells.

Applications
-Cancer Treatment: Particularly effective for cancers with downregulated COPZ2 expression, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, and melanoma.
-Combination Therapy: Can be used in conjunction with other anti-tumor agents for enhanced therapeutic effects.

This technology has a U.S. Patent Pending and is available for licensing/partnering opportunities.
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2025179260A1

To learn more: https://www.ndsuresearchfoundation.org/contact

🔥 Prairie Torch® Hybrid Buckeye brings bold color and rugged performance to northern landscapes.

Selected in northwestern Minnesota and introduced through collaboration with North Dakota State University and Bergeson Nursery, this exceptionally winter-hardy tree delivers a dense, globose form, and brilliant orange-red fall color that truly lives up to its name. Its consistent brilliant fall color sets this selection apart from the species.

✔ USDA Zones 3–7
✔ Compact 30’ x 30’ size ideal for residential landscapes
✔ Superior foliage quality that incline downward in an umbrella-like fashion
✔ Improved resistance to leaf scorch

Discover more innovative cultivars from NDSU here: https://technologies.ndsuresearchfoundation.org/?tech_cat=Horticulture

NDSU Plant Sciences NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program North Dakota State University

As power systems increasingly rely on natural gas generation to support decarbonization and renewable integration, the interdependence between electric grids and gas infrastructure has intensified. These Integrated Power and Gas Systems (IPGS) improve efficiency and sustainability but also introduce new operational risks.

Failures in one subsystem—electric or gas—can propagate rapidly through energy-coupling components such as gas-fired generators, electric-driven compressors, and power-to-gas (P2G) units. Events like the February 2021 Texas blackout highlight how cascading failures across interdependent infrastructures can result in widespread outages.

Traditional vulnerability assessment tools often focus on isolated electric networks or use static topological metrics that fail to capture dynamic fault propagation. There is a critical need for system-wide methodologies that model cascading behavior across multi-energy systems and accurately identify components whose failure can trigger large-scale blackouts.

This technology, developed by North Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State University researchers Di Wu and Nof Yasir introduces a novel influence graph-based vulnerability assessment framework for Integrated Power and Gas Systems (IPGS), designed to identify critical components that initiate cascading failures.

The method first models cascading failures using fault chain theory, where sequential component outages are characterized by transition probabilities derived from overload conditions. Unlike conventional approaches that treat electric and gas networks separately, this framework develops a unified fault chain model for the entire IPGS. Both electric power flow (AC power flow) and dynamic gas flow models are integrated to simulate realistic

To identify the most critical branches, the framework applies eigenvector centrality, which evaluates not only how often a component fails, but also how influential its neighboring components are. This allows detection of components that may not fail frequently, yet trigger severe system-wide impacts when they do.

Validation on a 39-bus, 29-node IPGS model demonstrates that the method accurately isolates high-impact branches whose simultaneous failure leads to blackout conditions—outperforming traditional centrality-based approaches.

This technology has a U.S. Patent Pending and is available for licensing/partnering opportunities.

To learn more: https://www.ndsuresearchfoundation.org/contact

🍂 Not all elms are created equal — Northern Empress® Japanese Elm delivers exceptional cold hardiness, compact form, and one of the most striking fall color displays seen in an elm cultivar.

It combines dependable Zone 4 hardiness (regional experience showing zone 3 as well) with a manageable form ideal for urban spaces, smaller landscapes, and areas near overhead utilities.

What truly sets it apart? Its rare fall color transformation — shifting from apricot-orange to a striking burgundy-red, a color display not typically seen in elm species.

✔ Dutch Elm Disease resistance
✔ Tolerant of high pH soils and moderate drought
✔ Minimal black leaf spot issues
✔ Unique, dependable fall color

Discover more innovative cultivars from NDSU here: https://technologies.ndsuresearchfoundation.org/?tech_cat=Horticulture

NDSU Plant Sciences NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program North Dakota State University

🌿 Meet Limeburst® Littleleaf Linden — a fresh take on a landscape classic.

Released in 2024 by the NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program, this unique littleleaf linden brings brilliant golden spring foliage that matures to a rich lime-green through summer, adding standout color to boulevards, parks, and residential landscapes.

✔ Hardy in USDA Zones 4–6(7)
✔ Pollution tolerant & adaptable
✔ Fragrant summer blooms
✔ Excellent urban landscape tree
✔ Compact pyramidal-rounded form

Limeburst® is not yet available to retail customers, but nurseries interested in licensing are encouraged to contact the NDSU Research Foundation at [email protected]!

Discover more innovative cultivars from NDSU here: https://technologies.ndsuresearchfoundation.org/?tech_cat=Horticulture

NDSU Plant Sciences North Dakota State University