I-Corps: Multiplex GTPase Activity Assay Kit

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于开发一种测量酶功能的技术，称为GTPases。gtpase是控制正常细胞功能以及健康和疾病的许多方面的分子开关。当前的技术一次只能测量单个GTPase的活性，并且是劳动密集型的。高昂的费用进一步阻碍了常规的实验室或临床分析。一种快速灵敏测量细胞或组织中多种gtpase的新技术可以彻底改变诊断和患者对治疗的反应。该技术的潜在商业客户包括临床实验室、制药公司和诊断试剂盒制造商。客户将能够区分需要不同治疗的危及生命的疾病，或在几小时内确定药物治疗效果，而不是几天。样品分析成本降低4到10倍是一个额外的潜在好处。这个I-Corps项目将探索一项新技术的商业化潜力，并使其广泛用于科学发现和临床应用。该项目进一步开发了一种测量细胞或组织GTPase酶功能变化的技术。个体gtpase会根据外部信号（包括微生物、疾病、药物和毒素）开启或关闭。包膜珠捕获细胞或体液中存在的活性gtp酶。一种常见的临床实验室仪器，称为流式细胞仪，测量珠子上捕获的蛋白质。该技术使药物发现、诊断和分子发现成为可能。数值读数可以很容易地监测GTPase活性的变化，由于实验处理随着时间的推移和在小样本。能够阻断疾病进程的药物的快速筛选加速了药物的发现。将这些创新能力引入商业市场将显著提高学术界和工业界的发现产出。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in the development of a technology that measures the function of enzymes, called GTPases. GTPases are molecular on/off switches that control normal cell function and many aspects of health and disease. Current technology only measures the activity of a single GTPase at a time and is labor intensive. High costs further hinder routine laboratory or clinical analyses. A new technology for rapid and sensitive measurements of multiple GTPases in cells or tissues can revolutionize diagnostics and patient response to therapy. Potential commercial clients for the technology include clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and diagnostic kit manufacturers. Clients will be able to distinguish life-threatening conditions that require different treatments or determine drug treatment efficacy within hours instead of days. A 4- to 10-fold lower cost of sample analysis is an added potential benefit.This I-Corps project will explore the commercialize potential of a new technology and make it broadly available for scientific discovery and clinical applications. The project further develops a technology that measures changes in cell or tissue GTPase enzyme function. Individual GTPases turn on and off in response to external cues that include microbes, disease, drugs and toxins. Coated beads capture active GTPases present in cells or body fluids. A common clinical laboratory instrument, called a flow cytometer, measures captured proteins on the beads. The technology enables drug discovery, diagnostics, and molecular discovery. A numerical readout makes it easy to monitor changes in GTPase activities due to experimental treatments over time and in small samples. Rapid screening of medications that can block disease processes speeds drug discovery. Bringing these innovative capabilities to the commercial market will significantly improve discovery output in academia and industry.