SBIR Phase I: Bead-Based Label-free DNA Microarray Readout

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project explores a novel detection system for DNA microarrays, which are coin-size glass chips containing diverse molecules of genetic material. DNA microarrays have revolutionized basic research and industrial drug discovery, but have traditionally been difficult to use in clinical diagnostics. DNA microarrays are typically expensive and require long wait-times for data, in part because of the need to chemically label the sample material. In contrast, Synamem Corporation (a Synergenics, LLC business) is developing a novel readout for DNA microarrays using micron-size bead particles which completely eliminates the need to label the sample material, making the process considerably lower-cost and more rapid. This SBIR project will address the following: 1) The DNA microarray label-free readout will be optimized; 2) This readout will be tested in various potential diagnostic applications of DNA microarrays in the field of cancer; and 3) The compatibility of this label-free readout with commercially-available microarrays will be assessed. The broader impacts of this research are the development of DNA microarrays which could potentially be used in diagnostics on a more cost-effective and time-efficient basis. Successful commercialization and adoption of Synamem's label-free microarray system will greatly simplify the process of measuring gene expression, detecting gene single nucleotide polymorphisms and mutations, and numerous other potential diagnostic applications of DNA microarrays. Indeed, it will enable faster diagnostic results in the clinic, closer to the patient, as it may eliminate the need for sending out samples for lengthy processing in centralized hospital laboratories. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).