This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program provides $304,436 to Lyowave, Inc., a woman-owned small business, to advance the scale-up of a high-frequency microwave heating technology for manufacturing pharmaceutical and biologic freeze-dried products. The key objectives are to develop experimental methods for characterizing the dielectric properties of frozen materials, implement physics-based models for the freeze-drying process, and demonstrate closed-loop control strategies to optimize microwave heating performance. The research aims to solve scale-up challenges and improve manufacturing capacity for high-value freeze-dried goods, which could address recurring product shortages. This 1-year Phase I SBIR project seeks to generate the fundamental knowledge needed to translate the microwave heating technology from the laboratory to large-volume commercial freeze-drying systems.
Generated 3/18/25, 4:41 AM