SBIR Phase I: Rapid Design and Prototyping System for Lab-On-Chip Devices

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业影响是通过启用新的芯片实验室技术来降低成本并提高医疗保健行业解决方案的准确性，包括即时诊断，治疗和药物开发。这些技术依赖于微流体设备，即小型塑料部件，可以自动有效地对少量液体样品进行科学实验。床旁设备可以通过允许获得测试而对服务不足的社区产生特别深远的影响，否则由于成本和资源问题而无法获得测试。拟议的系统将减少开发应对这些挑战的技术所需的时间和费用。 SBIR第一阶段项目通过三项主要技术创新来提高芯片实验室的开发速度：1）用于设计微流体部件的微流体特征库; 2）快速生产微流体模具的快速工具系统; 3）芯片实验室设备与外部世界连接的宏微接口。拟议的项目将创建一个自动化系统，以快速可靠地连接微流体设备，提高可靠性和易用性。性能目标是一个完整的芯片实验室原型系统，在不到一周的时间内提供功能齐全的器件。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to reduce cost and increase accuracy of solutions for the healthcare industry, including point-of-care diagnostics, therapeutics, and drug development, by enabling new lab-on-chip technologies. These technologies rely on microfluidic devices, small plastic parts that automatically and efficiently conduct scientific experiments with tiny volumes of liquid samples. Point-of-care devices can have a particularly profound impact on underserved communities by allowing access to testing otherwise unavailable due to cost and resource issues. The proposed system will decrease the time and expense required to develop technologies addressing these challenges. This SBIR Phase I project addresses the speed of lab-on-chip development through three main technical innovations: 1) A library of microfluidic features for design of microfluidic parts; 2) A rapid tooling system rapidly producing microfluidic molds; and 3) The macro-to-micro interface where lab-on-chip devices connect to the outside world. The proposed project will create an automated system to quickly and reliably connectorize microfluidic devices, increasing reliability and ease of use. The performance goal is a complete lab-on-chip prototyping system providing fully functional devices in less than a week.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.