SBIR Phase II: Commercialization and Scale Up of Ultra Low Fouling and Functionalizable Surface Coatings Based on Zwitterionic Polycarboxybetaine

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to demonstrate the extraordinary performance of zwitterionic technology in protein interaction analysis. Zwitterionic polycarboxybetaine (pCB) is not only highly resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption, but also has abundant functional groups for the convenient and effective immobilization of biomolecules via conventional chemistry. This dual-functional property distinguishes pCB from other existing low-fouling materials, and enables diagnostics or molecular recognition in complex media. In this project, high-quality zwitterionic materials and coatings will be scaled up with low-cost and simple production process. The expected outcome is that one can immobilize molecular recognition elements directly onto a non-fouling background for a wide range of applications. The broader/commercial impacts of this project will be the potential to offer an effective approach in protection of surfaces from unwanted interactions in complex media for biomedical and engineering applications. Zwitterionic technology has superior advantages of low cost, stability, effectiveness and additional functionalities. For protein interaction analysis and medical diagnostics, this technology will improve the sensitivity and specificity of a biosensor, and enable the detection of analytes in undiluted human blood plasma and serum.