SBIR Phase I: A novel, microfluidic device to improve collection and analysis of biopsy samples from ocular paracentesis

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过更好的眼液活检工具来改进对眼睛状况的诊断。眼液活组织检查在诊断和治疗中很重要，但由于目前收集液体的方法存在缺陷，这一过程没有得到充分利用；此外，眼睛内的液体与身体其他部位隔离，因此血液检查对诊断没有帮助。正因为如此，大多数眼部感染的诊断和治疗都是基于他们的临床表现，而不需要体液测试的额外数据。本研究将为安全、有效地采集眼液提供一种新的工具。这将有助于黄斑变性、青光眼和眼部感染等威胁视力的疾病的诊断，使更早的诊断成为可能，并改善患者的预后。这项小型企业创新研究(SBIR)I项目将推动一种用于眼液活检的新医疗设备。眼液活检可以用于眼部感染以外的情况。拟议中的仪器将专门设计用于从眼球前部收集液体。任务包括：(1)优化针头以减少进入的力量，以加强外科医生的控制并降低受伤风险；(2)结合微流室和专门设计的收集系统来研究收集的流体动力学，该系统旨在处理小体积的液体，因为目前的方法会导致液体丢失和结果不准确。其他工作将评估先进的工程特征，以增强该程序的安全性。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 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to improve diagnosis of eye conditions with a better tool for ocular fluid biopsies. Ocular fluid biopsies are important in diagnosis and treatment, but this procedure is under-utilized due to flaws with the current method for collecting fluid; furthermore, the fluid in the eye is isolated from the rest of the body, so blood work does not help in diagnosis. Because of this, most ocular infections are diagnosed and treated based on their clinical appearance without additional data from fluid testing. This research will advance a new tool to collect ocular fluid safely and effectively. This will aid in diagnosis of sight-threatening conditions including macular degeneration, glaucoma and ocular infections, enabling earlier diagnosis and improving patient outcomes.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) I Project will advance a new medical device for ocular fluid biopsies. Ocular fluid biopsies can be used for conditions beyond infections in the eye. The proposed instrument will be designed specifically for collection of fluid from the front of the eye. Tasks include: (1) optimization of the needle to decrease the force of entry to enhance the surgeon’s control and decrease risk of injury; (2) investigation of the fluid dynamics of collection with the integration of a microfluidic chamber and specialized collection system designed to handle small fluid volumes because the current method leads to fluid loss and inaccurate results. Additional work will evaluate advanced engineering features to enhance safety for this procedure.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.