SBIR-STTR Award

Vertical Perfusion System for Cell Culture and Monitoring
Award last edited on: 4/8/2008

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NSF
Total Award Amount
$583,224
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
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Principal Investigator
Alan E Baron

Company Information

TauTheta Instruments LLC

2100 Central Avenue Suite 107
Boulder, CO 80301
   (720) 226-0614
   aebaron@tautheta.com
   www.tautheta.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 02
County: Boulder

Phase I

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase I year
2006
Phase I Amount
$100,000
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will attempt to show feasibility of a Vertical Perfusion Cartridge system to improve in vitro studies of diverse cell types, including insulin-producing Islets of Langerhans. Basic and applied cell physiology research could be advanced with the development of the proposed perfusion system. The aim is to develop a convenient, mass produced and easily used perfusion column cartridge that contains four to sixteen chambers. Modular construction of the assembly facilitates loading of the islets, controlling and maintain perfusion and performing real-time measurement of oxygen consumption rate (OCR), cytochrome-c oxidative state, NADH and other molecules via absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy in response to physiological perturbations. The proposed design will allow convenient sterilization, optionally reusable or disposable components, built-in oxygen sensors and associated instrumentation for real-time monitoring and recording of data. During Phase I, the plan is to design, build and evaluate one or more cartridge systems, using non-living cell-replicates and using live islets. Three significant commercial markets for the proposed technology are related to islet transplantation, basic islet research, and drug discovery, multi-billion dollar industries that pay a premium for methods capable of reducing development and operational risks. Two recent publications estimated the total real cost of islet transplantation procedures at $100,000 to $150,000 per patient, though the cost will fall over time as the procedures are refined. Nonetheless devices that either identify viable islets or assist in the development of such methods, or that speed research into alternative transplant methods, such as encapsulation, would quickly pay for themselves in cost savings. Applications related to islets include basic research into physiology and function, development and validation of drugs targeting islets, and assessment of islet viability prior to transplantation. Researchers who work on basic function and biology of islets will find this system useful because it enables the examination of multiple sets of islets simultaneously, thus improving statistical significance of their findings

Phase II

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase II year
2007
Phase II Amount
$483,224
This Phase II SBIR research develops tools to monitor live cells in a model system capable of maintaining the cells over extended periods in near normal conditions. The perfusion chamber allows one to interrogate the metabolic response of cells in real-time in a non-invasive manner. Potentially, this technology could open a number of tissues to examination in further detail for research and as an alternative to live animal testing. The broader impacts of this project include significant advances in the science of cell physiology and behavior, mechanistic pathways of diseases, and improved understanding of cellular signaling, growth and death. Rational design of more effective drugs depends on ever improving fundamental knowledge of cellular mechanisms. Commercially this innovation will lower the cost of drug development, testing and clinical trials, thereby providing broad benefit to the US healthcare industry