Jul 30 2007
BioForce Nanosciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, Inc., announced today the receipt of the second year of funding under a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for nearly $200,000, furthering its Emerging Technologies program. This brings the total funding under the grant to $400,000. The funding will be used to construct and evaluate a nanobiosensor capable of detecting protein biomarkers from just a few cells. The proposed nanobiosensor, with the tradename Chip-on-a-Tip™, opens the door to fast and informative analysis of minute protein samples such as those studied in forensics or biopsy microsamples.
This SBIR Phase I grant work will progress through April 2008 and involve a feasibility study to construct and evaluate the Chip-on-a-Tip™ device. If successful, this device is anticipated to provide the means for early detection of cancer and other diseases with a significant reduction in patient discomfort.
Dr. Eric Henderson, BioForce’s founder and CEO commented, "This concept creates a test so small that it can be brought directly to the sample origin, for example a cell, eliminating the difficulties associated with transporting extremely small quantities of sample extracts to a remote test site. The technology has the capacity to allow individuals to carry out personalized medicine at home.” The research is made possible by BioForce’s Nano eNabler™ benchtop molecular printer, which is capable of “printing” the extremely small tests on the nanobiosensor.
Dr. Saju Nettikadan, director of Emerging Technologies at BioForce said, "The NIH funding validates BioForce’s belief that miniaturization of biological tests is a pathway to minimally invasive molecular diagnostics. BioForce’s Chip-on-a-Tip™ project is just one element of our Emerging Technologies division."