STTR Phase I: Proof of Concept of a Digital Magnetic Biosensor

这项小型企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在开发一种新型数字磁性生物传感器（“DIBS”）的检测部分。主要目标是建立使用磁性试剂和数字检测器技术检测和计数单个蛋白质分子的可行性，这些技术改编自现有的磁性数据存储设备。将建立一个原型微流体装置并用于研究检测极限。设想的产品将在各种一次性诊断“卡”中使用多个DIBS，这些“卡”由基于流行PDA平台的手持式分析仪驱动。该设备将能够单分子检测/分辨率，同时分析单个针头大小的样品中的多种分析物，并在几分钟内给出结果。最初的保守目标是每个样品1000个分子。该产品的商业应用将主要用于诊断医学。在远程环境测试和国土防御监测方面的应用也是可能的。这些产品的最初目标客户是希望在现场提供快速且具有成本效益的定量免疫分析诊断测试的分布式医疗保健提供商。其中包括初级保健医师实践、专科保健中心和医院急诊室。一个巨大的潜在的二级市场，家庭测试也预计。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to develop the detector portion of a novel Digital Magnetic Biosensor ("DIBS"). The primary goal is to establish the feasibility of detecting and counting individual protein molecules using magnetic reagents and digital detector technology adapted from existing magnetic data-storage devices. A prototype microfluidic device will be built and used to investigate detection limits. Products are envisioned that use multiple DIBS in a wide range of disposable diagnostic "cards" that are driven by a hand-held analyzer based on a popular PDA platform. The device will be capable of single molecule detection/resolution, simultaneous analysis of multiple analytes in a single pinprick-sized sample, giving results within minutes. An initial conservative target of 1000 molecules per sample is a first objective. The commercial application of this product will primarily be in diagnostic medicine. Applications in remote environmental testing and homeland defenses monitoring are also possible. The initial targeted customers for these products are distributed healthcare providers who wish to provide rapid and cost-effective quantitative immunoassay-based diagnostic tests on site. These include primary healthcare physician practices, specialist healthcare centers, and hospital emergency rooms. A large potential secondary market for home testing is also anticipated.