PFI-BIC: Partnership for Nanomembranes in Microscale Biodevices

罗彻斯特大学的这一创新伙伴关系项目将专注于将一种名为多孔纳米晶硅(PNC-Si)的突破性膜技术应用于微型制备和分析系统。在第一阶段，该团队将努力将PNC-Si膜包括在现有的便携式病原体检测设备中。在这个装置中，膜将被用作微过滤器，防止聚集体到达检测器，在那里它们可能会导致假阳性信号。在第二阶段，该团队将使用PNC-Si平台将集成纳米技术(INT)过程中的每个步骤微型化，以便在单个芯片实验室设备上执行所有反应和检测步骤。这项研究的更广泛影响是多方面的。该项目预计将缩短INT设备的上市时间，满足美国军方对从少量血液样本进行远程病原体检测的长期需求。这种小型化的设备预计将大大降低该设备的成本，并扩大其在非国防市场的渗透率。更广泛地说，知识增强伙伴(KEP)将侧重于将PNC-Si用作芯片实验室设备中泵浦和分离的平台技术。预计这将对不同的行业产生影响，从生物技术到食品行业，在这些行业，寻求芯片实验室解决方案来降低复杂工艺的成本。KEP的工业伙伴对产品的需求增加，预计将刺激罗切斯特地区的经济增长。该项目还将让罗切斯特大学新的技术创业和管理课程的学生参与，他们将制定商业计划，进行市场研究，并进行风险评估。该项目将通过罗切斯特大学的麦克奈尔计划雇用代表性不足的少数族裔。项目开始时的合作伙伴是学术机构：罗切斯特大学(西蒙商学院生物医学工程系；创业中心)和罗切斯特理工学院学术合作伙伴(电气工程和生物医学工程系)；以及小企业：辛波尔公司(纽约州西亨利埃塔)和集成纳米技术公司(亨利埃塔，纽约州)。SIMPOLE是UR开发的超薄纳米多孔膜PNC-Si的独家制造商。开发的设备将基于INT的专利流程，用于全自动、便携式病原体检测。这两家小公司的总部都设在大罗切斯特地区。RIT学院将为KEP提供小型化、电动流动和LOC设备方面的专业知识。

This Partnerships for Innovation project from the University of Rochester will focus on the application of a breakthrough membrane technology called porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) to microscale preparative and analytical systems. In the first phase, the team will work to include the pnc-Si membranes in an existing device for portable pathogen detection. In this device the membranes will be used as a microfilter preventing aggregates from reaching detectors where they can cause false positive signals. In the second phase, the team will use the pnc-Si platform to miniaturize each step in the Integrated Nanotechnologies (INT) process to perform all reaction and detection steps on a single lab-on-a-chip device.The broader impacts of this research are many. The project is expected to decrease the time-to-market for the INT device, addressing a long-standing need of the U.S. military for remote pathogen detection from small blood samples. The miniaturized device is expected to significantly reduce costs of this device and expand its penetration into nondefense markets. More broadly, the knowledge enhancement partners (KEP) will focus on the use of pnc-Si as a platform technology for pumping and separation in lab-on-a-chip devices. This is expected to have an impact on diverse industries, from biotechnology to the food industry, where lab-on-a-chip solutions are sought to reduce the cost of complex processes. Increased demand for products from the KEP's industrial partners is expected to spur economic growth in the Rochester area. The project will also involve students in the University of Rochester's new Technical Entrepreneurship and Management program who will develop business plans, conduct market research, and perform risk assessment. The project will employ underrepresented minorities through the University of Rochester's McNair program.Partners at the inception of the project are Academic: the lead academic institution, the University of Rochester (Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Simon School of Business; Center for Entrepreneurship) and an academic partner, Rochester Institute of Technology (Departments of Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering); and Small businesses: SiMPore Inc. (West Henrietta, NY), and Integrated Nanotechnologies (Henrietta, NY). SiMPore is the exclusive manufacturer of pnc-Si, an ultrathin nanoporous membrane developed at UR. The devices developed will be based on INT's proprietary process for fully automated, portable pathogen detection. Both small companies are based in the greater Rochester area. RIT faculty will provide the KEP with expertise in miniaturization, electrokinetic flows and LOC devices.