Sbir phase II: scaling platforms for translational research and therapeutic screening

The National Science Foundation awarded Opal Therapeutics Inc. a $1.25 million cooperative agreement on August 1, 2026, to develop scalable platforms for translational research and therapeutic screening under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084).

The project pursues three primary objectives: expanding a current biobank with increased metadata acquisition; automating culture and imaging workflows using proprietary media formulations to increase throughput and reproducibility; and integrating multi-modal data into an AI-powered predictive model. The work addresses the lack of scalable, relevant systems that capture inflammation and remodeling by optimizing standardized culture conditions and developing immune-competent models incorporating multiple cell types. Longitudinal perturbation studies will characterize biological responses across imaging, inflammatory markers, and gene expression. Computational methods will identify reproducible patterns across donors and experimental conditions. The anticipated outcomes include improved reproducibility, higher-throughput workflows, and validated biological readouts suitable for early efficacy testing, intended to establish a robust preclinical platform supporting downstream therapeutic development and future U.S. clinical translation.

The award is a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project with no planned sub-awards. Performance occurs in San Francisco, California, with a period of performance from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028.

Abstract

The broader impact /commercial potential of this small business innovation research (sbir) phase II project aims to establish a scalable and data-rich platform. The project has three main objectives: (1) expand the current biobank with increased metadata acquisition, (2) automate culture and imaging workflows with proprietary media formulations to increase throughput and reproducibility, and (3) integrate multi-modal data into an AI-powered predictive model. This small business innovation research (sbir) phase II project aims to advance and validate models including new approach methodologies (nams) to replace other models. The core challenge addressed is the lack of scalable, relevant systems that capture inflammation and remodeling. The research will optimize standardized culture conditions, and develop immune-competent models that incorporate multiple cell types. Longitudinal perturbation studies will be used to characterize relevant biological responses across imaging, inflammatory markers, and gene expression. The project will also integrate computational methods to identify reproducible patterns across donors and experimental conditions. Anticipated outcomes include improved reproducibility, higher-throughput workflows, and validated biological readouts suitable for early efficacy testing. These technical advances are intended to establish a robust preclinical platform that can support downstream therapeutic development and future U.S. Clinical translation. 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.