SBIR Phase I: Digital Barcode Etched Assayable Micro (BEAM) Bead for Rare Biomolecules Separation and Purification

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project focuses on developing a process to detect mutations that combines the technologies of bar-coded beads, microfluidic, and nucleic acid hybridization for the separation and purification of multiple biomarkers in bodily fluids. The presence of biomarkers or mutant circulating DNA in blood can be a diagnostic and prognostic indicator, making body fluids potentially useful for diagnostics and patient monitoring. The proposed technology allows for the selective enrichment of ultra rare mutant alleles from a multiplexed amplification assay. As it has been shown that there are biomarkers, or tumor DNA circulating in a very small quantity in the blood of cancer patients, this technology may allow the development of automated blood tests for early detection of minimal residual diseases in high-risk patients.