SBIR Phase I: Autonomous System for DNA Sequencing Prep in Space and Austere Environments

SBIR 第一阶段：在太空和严峻环境中进行 DNA 测序准备的自主系统

• 批准号: 2344191
• 负责人: Anjali Gupta
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: ANYGLABS, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-15 至 2025-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344191&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Autonomous; System; DNA

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to democratize access to advanced diagnostics tools by building an automated, miniaturized system for DNA extraction and preparation for sequencing for both in space and austere environments. This automated and miniaturized approach has the potential to contribute to a higher throughput acceleration of in-space R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization for biotechnology. DNA sequencing is used for various purposes in research and medicine – for example, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, monitoring of pathogens in water supplies and food, and study of the effects of the environment on human, crop, and pet health. Yet nearly 50% of the world’s population has little or no access to such advanced diagnostics tools, and at least 2.2 billion people lacked safe drinking water in 2022. Even though there is high interest in genetic testing among individuals of low socioeconomic status, such tests are inaccessible due to cost or availability. The global DNA sequencing market size of $11B in 2022 is expected to grow to over $50B by 2032. This project is disrupting the status quo and addressing an unserved market by developing a small, portable, automated, high throughput, and cost-effective system for extracting DNA from a variety of biosamples to prepare them for next-generation sequencing. The in-space environment has the potential to leverage microgravity advantages for a wide range of biotechnology-based advances but is currently capacity and throughput-constrained. This project will further accelerate a high-throughput, faster iterative approach to in-space R&D to achieve more of the disruptive solutions possible from microgravity. This SBIR Phase I project proposes a unique approach to technology development – building the technology for space and microgravity, the most extreme environment. Currently, no such automated, miniaturized technology exists in space for DNA extraction and sample preparation. Space is a unique environment that can offer novel scientific insights. The availability of advanced tools in microgravity, such as the technology proposed in this project, will enable scientists to push the boundaries of knowledge across a variety of disciplines, from aging and longevity research to cancer medicines to stem cell expansion and organoid production in space. Furthermore, by solving for space – an extreme, harsh environment with many constraints – the technology will also solve for Earth’s austere environments and provide a high-caliber diagnostic system for populations in remote, underserved, under-resourced, and extreme environments, which includes military field operations for national defense and security. This technology is pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery in space and democratizing health and welfare on Earth. The first product is only the beginning of a series of products for portable advanced end-point-analysis tools. The platform technology will spin off subsequent devices that will eventually enable in-home or point-of-care diagnostics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小企业创新研究 (SBIR) 项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是，通过构建自动化、小型化的 DNA 提取系统和为太空和严峻环境下的测序准备的方法，实现先进诊断工具的民主化。有助于提高生物技术的太空研发、制造和商业化的吞吐量，DNA 测序可用于研究和医学的各种目的，例如疾病的诊断和治疗、病原体监测。水供应和食品，以及环境对人类、作物和宠物健康影响的研究然而，世界上近 50% 的人口很少或根本无法获得此类先进的诊断工具，并且至少 22 亿人缺乏安全饮用水。到 2022 年，尽管社会经济地位较低的个人对基因检测非常感兴趣，但由于成本或可用性，此类检测仍无法实现，预计 2022 年全球 DNA 测序市场规模将增长至 11B 以上。到 2032 年将达到 50B 美元。该项目正在打破现状，通过开发小型、便携式、自动化、高通量且经济高效的系统来解决未服务的市场问题，该系统用于从各种生物样本中提取 DNA，为下一代测序做好准备太空环境有潜力利用微重力优势进行广泛的生物技术，但目前的进展受到容量和吞吐量的限制，该项目将进一步加速高通量、更快的迭代方法。太空研发旨在通过微重力实现更多颠覆性解决方案，该 SBIR 第一阶段项目提出了一种独特的技术开发方法——为太空和微重力（目前最极端的环境）构建技术。太空中存在用于 DNA 提取和样品制备的技术。太空是一个独特的环境，可以提供新颖的科学见解，先进的微重力工具（例如本项目中提出的技术）将使科学家能够突破知识的界限。各种从衰老和长寿研究到癌症药物，再到太空中的干细胞扩增和类器官生产，通过解决太空这一具有许多限制的极端、恶劣的环境，该技术也将解决地球的严峻环境问题，并提供高水平的解决方案。口径诊断系统适用于偏远、服务不足、资源匮乏和极端环境中的人群，其中包括国防和安全的军事现场行动，该技术正在突破太空科学发现的界限，并使地球上的健康和福利产品民主化。只是开始该平台技术将衍生出一系列用于便携式先进终点分析工具的产品，最终将实现家庭或护理点诊断。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的。通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。