SBIR Phase I: Molecular Interaction Measurement System: A Label-free Detection Platform.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project aims to develop a novel label-free methodology for the real-time detection of binding events of biological relevance. The technology takes advantage of optical interference for the measurement of binding events. Label-free detection is one of the most sought-after goals for scientists interested binding events such as the interaction of ligands with receptors. Such interest could be in the context of high throughput screening, or biochemical/molecular studies and would be equally important to these areas. Current detection of binding events relies on labeling molecules and subsequently monitoring the interaction of the labeled entity with the target of interest. As such, the cost and effort associated with such measurements are high and could be significantly lowered if the need for labeling is obviated. The current proposal addresses this crucial problem and may provide a solution that would be of use in medical and scientific applications.