SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project proposes to refine the novel Gene Engine Technology foruse in effective and inexpensive genomic analysis. The specific objectives of this project are to experimentally determine the actual limits of applicability of the Gene Engine TM technology and to develop all components needed for its use in high-resolution genomic mapping. To accomplish this, fluorescent sequence-specific tags will be designed and methodsdeveloped for their attachment to DNA targets. Microfluidic system will be improved to reliably stretch long DNA fragments. Algorithms needed for data processing and DNA map building will be developed. During the Phase I study, mixture of DNA fragments up to 200 kilobases long will be analyzed. Further development will lead to design and commercialization of an instrument capable of analyzing genomes up to 10 megabases in length. The commercial applications of this project will be for rapid screening of populations as well as for personalized genetic analysis in clinical settings in the form of routine laboratory tests

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project aims to build a technology for long-range, high-resolution DNA mapping based on the proprietary GeneEngine(TM) platform. This technology will be a unique tool for genomics because of the combination of features: single- molecule sensitivity, ability to analyze very long DNA molecules, high throughput, and potential for automation. The basic feasibility of this technology was shown in Phase I. The Phase II project is aimed at creating efficient procedures for sample preparation and measurement, as well as for developing analysis algorithms and combining them into an automated software package. These procedures and software will be united to form a toolkit for DNA mapping. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of Genomics. The product resulting from this project will comprise of instruments and consumables (e.g. reagents) for mapping of whole microbial genomes based on long-range, single-molecule DNA mapping. The ability to scan microbial genomic DNA for genetic information at a fraction of the cost and time of that needed currently will be valuable in a number of commercial applications in life science research and the healthcare industry, including the elucidation of complex genetic pathways, identification of target genes for development of novel anti-infective drugs, correlation of genomic information with unique functions and with drug response, as well as for DNA-based molecular diagnostics and prognostics. The principal market for these applications would be the bio-pharmaceutical companies and academic research laboratories, with additional longer-term markets expected in the area of clinical diagnostics