SBIR Phase I: Development of new materials for a low cost high throughput ion channel measurement platform

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will support the development of a novel ion channel measurement platform. Ion channels are important in a wide range of physiological processes including cardiac and neural activity. The technology is centered on inexpensively manufactured ion channel biochips which can be shipped to the end user and indefinitely stored until needed. This platform greatly simplifies the process of ion channel measurement, with the potential to significantly increase throughput, decrease cost, and eliminate the expertise necessary to perform these sophisticated measurements. The proposed research will maximize the biochip yield and minimize the formation time. The broader impacts of this research are that the increased throughput and data quality will significantly impact healthcare in terms of cost and quality of care by reducing drug development R&D costs. The multi-billion dollar market for ion channel drugs is actually underserved because of the lack of cost effective, high quality, high throughput screening solutions. The company's low cost high throughput solution will enable the cost of ion channel screening to significantly drop. The storability, shippability, and simplicity of the technology also opens ion channel measurement capability to a much wider, non-specialist scientific audience and a low cost system suitable for high school and college laboratory courses.