STTR Phase I: Glycerin Product for Burgeoning Biodiesel Industry

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will demonstrate a feasible approach to manufacturing metal oxide based pH sensors for use in long-term cell culture and tissue-engineering experiments. Current electrochemical pH sensors do not meet the demonstrable need for accurate, stable, reliable and robust sensors in biological applications. The sensors are expected to replace current optical pH measurement techniques that are cumbersome and unsuitable for long-term, unattended experiments. Extensive research has shown that the precise control of environmental parameters such as culture medium pH have a profound impact on productivity. The sensors will have the advantages of small size, ability to sterilize, resistance to the biological environment, and lack of toxicity. This Phase I project will focus on designing a prototype sensor by evaluating materials that enable the sensor to survive the biological environment without adversely effecting tissue growth. The commercial application of this project is in the area of sensors for use with cell cultures in bioreactors.