This $228,697 National Science Foundation award under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support the development of an optical biosensor technology to facilitate drug screening and validation efforts. Auctus Biologics, Inc. will utilize a proprietary temperature, pH, and chemically stable protein composed of two fragments that bind with antibody-like affinity and specificity. Over the one-year period ending January 2023, the company will establish the technology's suitability for complete characterization of molecular interaction pairs, evaluate its robustness and versatility in various applications, and validate it through drug screening campaigns. If successful, this novel surface plasmon resonance biosensor could accelerate drug discovery by enabling high-sensitivity, reusable chips and streamlining laboratory workflows—addressing key barriers that currently limit the technology's large-scale use.