PFI-TT: High-Yield Production and Processing of Boron Nitride Particles for Biomedical Applications

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发高亮度探针(HBP)，这将扩大目前的试剂市场规模，并通过使更多的研究人员能够在没有高端荧光显微镜的情况下研究基因检测来创造新的就业机会。HBPs还可以支持使用信使核糖核酸(MRNAs)的救命疫苗的开发。该项目有两个目标，概括如下。该项目的第一个目标是将氮化硼颗粒的产量提高10倍至25倍。第二个目标是将后续化学加工的产量提高5倍。实现这些目标将使各行业能够开始高亮度探测器(HBP)的初步商业化，其市场价值为每年100万至1000万美元。这项拟议的研究将在三名女性研究科学家之间开展合作，并激发来自不同背景的年轻本科生和研究生的研究兴趣。拟议中的项目将为基因研究提供实质性的智力价值。研究人员可以通过用1到18个HBP染色来检测每个基因分子，而不需要扩增，并获得比现有产品亮10倍的信号。目前的商业探针要求研究人员对每个基因分子染色30-50个探针。由于HBPs允许每个基因分子使用较少的探针，因此HBPs可以提供更长的探针长度以提高检测特异性。HBPs的高亮度还可以在不进行扩增的情况下进行基因检测，并将提高基因序列的量化准确性。现有的商业产品涉及放大过程，这耗费了成本和时间，并降低了准确性。由于HBPs省去了信号放大步骤，新的探针将使检测成本和时间减少至少2-4倍。由于HBPs的高亮度和每个基因靶标的探针数较少，使科学家能够检测到短而稀有的基因分子，这在目前的技术下是不可能的。这种罕见基因的检测将带来新的生物医学发现。最后，HBPS可以通过增强图像分辨率将图像映射速度提高1000倍(X-Y-Z扫描：10x10x10)。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is the development of high-brightness probes (HBPs), which will expand the current reagent market size and create new jobs by enabling more researchers to investigate gene detection without high-end fluorescent microscopes. HBPs can also support the development of life-saving vaccines that use messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs). The project has two objectives summarized as follows. The first objective of this project is to increase the production yield of boron nitride particles by 10X to 25X. The second objective is to enhance the yield of the subsequent chemical processing by 5X. Achieving these goals will allow industries to start the initial commercialization of high-brightness probes (HBPs) with a market value of $1M to $10M per year. The proposed research will engage collaboration among three female research scientists and stimulate the research interest of young undergraduate and graduate students who come from diverse backgrounds. The proposed project will offer substantial intellectual merit for genetic research. Researchers can detect each gene molecule by staining with 1 to 18 HBPs without amplification and obtain 10X brighter signals than existing products. Current commercial probes require researchers to stain 30-50 probes per gene molecule. Since HBPs allow the use of fewer probes per gene molecule, HBPs could offer longer probe lengths to increase the detection specificity. The high brightness of HBPs also allows gene detection without amplification and will enhance the quantification accuracy of gene sequences. The existing commercial products involve amplification processes, which consume cost and time and degrade accuracy. Since HBPs eliminate the signal amplification steps, the new probes will reduce the detection cost and time by at least 2-4X. Owing to the high brightness and fewer probe number per gene target, HBPs allow scientists to detect short and rare gene molecules, which is currently impossible with the current technologies. The detection of such rare genes will lead to new biomedical discoveries. Finally, HBPs could increase the image mapping speed by 1000X (X-Y-Z scan: 10x10x10) with enhanced image resolution.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.