STTR Phase I: Multipass Sensing for Ultrahigh Resolution Particle Characterization

这个小企业技术转让第一阶段项目将产生一个新的纳米颗粒表征系统，能够评估基于溶液的纳米颗粒（或分子）样品的大小，长宽比，zeta电位和浓度，具有最先进的准确度，精度和分辨率，所有这些都在一个平台上。对新的纳米颗粒表征仪器的主要需求是由纳米颗粒在医疗保健和医学中的日益增加的效用和益处驱动的，包括纳米颗粒药物递送、纳米级颗粒/分子药物和疗法以及基于纳米颗粒的成像和诊断剂。根据该计划开发的原型系统将针对一般纳米颗粒表征市场，目前估计约为5亿美元，其中包括制药和生物医学行业，纳米颗粒制造，研发和学术研究的应用。开发的系统不仅将改善基于溶液的纳米颗粒表征，而且简化表征过程，并在纳米颗粒领域的样品表征，优化和利用方面提供新的见解。该项目的智力价值在于开发一种全新的创新颗粒表征系统，该系统具有自动化，高分辨率，在单分子水平上进行基于溶液的颗粒评估。 开发的系统将能够快速表征溶液中的大量（数百至数千）颗粒/分子，以评估样品中的分布。这些目标将通过开发、构建和验证一个完整的、功能齐全的α原型系统来实现，然后通过表征基于溶液的含有粒子和分子的样品来展示新系统的功能和实用性，否则这些样品无法以高分辨率表征。完成该计划后，将开发和验证一种全新的纳米颗粒表征仪器，该仪器已准备好通过工业和学术界首次引入纳米颗粒领域。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will generate a new nanoparticle characterization system with the ability to assess the size, length-to-width ratio, zeta potential, and concentration of solution-based nanoparticle (or molecular) samples with state-of-the-art accuracy, precision, and resolution, all on a single platform. The primary need for new nanoparticle characterization instrumentation is driven by the increasing utility and benefit of nanoparticles in healthcare and medicine, including nanoparticle drug delivery, nanoscale particle/molecule drugs and therapies, and nanoparticle-based imaging and diagnostics agents. The prototype system developed under this program will be targeted toward the general nanoparticle characterization market, presently estimated at ~$500M, which includes applications in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, nanoparticle manufacturing, R&D, and academic research. The developed system will not only improve solution-based nanoparticle characterization, but streamline characterization processes and provide new insights with regard to sample characterization, optimization, and utilization within the nanoparticle field.The intellectual merit of this project lies in the development of a completely new and innovative particle characterization system for which there is no equivalent, capable of automated, high-resolution, solution-based particle assessments at the single-molecule level. The developed system will enable the ability to quickly characterize a large number (hundreds to thousands) of particles/molecules in solution in order to assess the distribution within the sample. These goals will be reached by developing, building, and validating a complete and fully functioning alpha-prototype system and then demonstrating the functionality and utility of the new system by characterizing solution-based particle- and molecule-containing samples that otherwise cannot be characterized with high resolution. Upon completing this program, an entirely new nanoparticle characterization instrument will be developed and validated that is ready for initial introductions into the nanoparticle field via industrial and academic communities.