SBIR Phase I: High-Throughput Direct Ratiometric Calorimeter for Drug Discovery

SBIR 第一阶段：用于药物发现的高通量直接比率量热仪

• 批准号: 2402322
• 负责人: Matthew Eskew
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: THERMOCAP LABORATORIES 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: 2024-03-01 至 2025-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2402322&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Throughput; Direct; Ratiometric

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the production of the first high-throughput and low-cost Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) instrument. DSC is an extremely powerful tool for drug discovery that has low adoption due to high costs and low throughput of only one sample every two hours. The power of DSC is the thermodynamic measurements, which do not require any prior specific knowledge of the molecules being studied and do not require any labels. By not requiring any specific knowledge, it is possible to screen a wider variety and a higher quantity of compounds in the search for new drug molecules. The instrument to be developed from this project will be capable of processing 24 to 96 samples every two hours, thereby making DSC-based drug discovery commercially viable. Innovations from this project will also reduce the cost of producing DSC instruments, making them widely accessible for research and educational purposes. An added benefit of the reduced costs is the potential also to be utilized as a teaching tool. The combination of unique drug discovery knowledge and low costs will serve to reduce the costs associated with discovering and analyzing potential new drug molecules.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project comprises the research and development activities required to produce a high-throughput differential scanning calorimeter. A unique feature of the proposed instrument is the utilization of single-use, sterile sample cartridges that can hold 24 to 96 samples. These cartridges will enable high-throughput sample processing compared to currently available instruments. Current instruments use sensors and heaters that are permanently attached to the sample cells. This project will address the technical challenges associated with using non-permanently attached sensors and heaters to enable a sample cartridge that can be inserted and removed from the instrument. Activities of this project will identify optimal materials and components and determine the layout of sample cells to maximize the number of sample cells in each cartridge. These activities will minimize risks associated with producing a production-ready instrument and deliver maximum customer benefit.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.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是生产首个高通量和低成本差异扫描量热法（DSC）仪器。 DSC是一种非常强大的药物发现工具，由于高成本高，每两个小时仅一个样本的吞吐量较低，因此采用较低。 DSC的功率是热力学测量值，它不需要对所研究分子的任何特定知识，也不需要任何标签。通过不需要任何特定的知识，可以在寻找新药物分子时筛选更广泛的种类和更高量的化合物。该项目要开发的仪器将能够每两个小时处理24至96个样品，从而使基于DSC的药物发现在商业上可行。该项目的创新还将降低生产DSC仪器的成本，从而使其可用于研究和教育目的。降低成本的额外好处也可能被用作教学工具。独特的药物发现知识和低成本的结合将有助于降低与发现和分析潜在的新药分子相关的成本。这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I阶段项目包括生产高通量差异扫描量表所需的研发活动。该仪器的一个独特功能是利用单使用，无菌样品墨盒，可以容纳24至96个样品。与当前可用的仪器相比，这些墨盒将实现高通量样品处理。当前仪器使用永久连接到样品单元的传感器和加热器。该项目将解决与使用非永久连接的传感器和加热器相关的技术挑战，以实现可以从仪器中插入并删除的样品弹药筒。该项目的活动将识别最佳材料和组件，并确定样品单元的布局，以最大程度地提高每个墨盒中样品细胞的数量。这些活动将最大程度地降低与生产准备就绪的工具相关的风险并提供最大的客户利益。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准，被视为值得通过评估来获得支持。