SBIR Phase I: Commercialization of Membrane Microarray Technology

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a commercially feasible technology for the fabrication of membrane microarrays. Recent studies have extended the microarray concept to include patterns of substrate-supported lipid bilayers and cell membranes (MembraneChipsTM) which retain biological functionality, and enable researchers to perform novel studies of receptor-ligand and cell-cell interactions. These experiments are performed using manual and often laborious chip fabrication and assay techniques. This project will assess the technical feasibility of automating MembraneChipTM production, and manufacturing membrane microarrays in a format compatible with existing liquid-handling robotics and microplate readers. The specific objectives of the project will be (i) demonstration of a scaleable membrane arraying process using nanoscale fluid-dispensing technology, (ii) optimization of the process with respect to substrate design and dispense parameters using a statistical design of experiments approach, (iii) evaluation of process consistency and yields, and (iv) evaluation of membrane array mechanical stability, shelf-life, and sensitivity to assay reagents. This information will be used to fabricate a prototype device in the 96-well microplate format. Incorporation into the 96- well format will enable automation of novel biological assays for basic research and drug discovery, while taking advantage of the instrumentation infrastructure already installed in academic and industrial research labs. The commercial application of this project is in the areas of biological research and pharmaceutical drug development.