Project Grant R44GM126676

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) awarded a $275,000 Project Grant (CFDA 93.350) to Nectagen Inc. to develop bioprocess-compatible, second-generation nanoclamp affinity resins for the efficient purification of plasma-based therapeutic proteins. The goal is to identify panels of nanoclamps to 5 industrially relevant plasma-based therapeutics, select lead candidates, and optimize the resins for maximum recovery and purity from plasma samples. This project aims to...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering (CFDA 47.041) grant, awarded to the Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia, aims to develop innovative, biology-inspired materials for purifying protein-based therapeutics. The $600,000 project will span 5 years, starting on February 1, 2025. Key objectives include: Designing mixed-mode peptide ligands to selectively adsorb and purify protein therapeutics from contaminants like viruses, unwanted proteins, and misformed products. The...

This Cooperative Agreement award, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, aims to develop a bioprocessing system to isolate and purify therapeutic antibodies directly from cell culture. The $999,998 award to Athem LLC, a minority-owned small business, will enable scaling up a novel nanoparticle-based purification media and an automated prototype system. The goal is to simplify the manufacturing of biologics, reduce...

The University of Delaware received a $369,639 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems on July 15, 2021 to complete the project by June 30, 2024. The grant funds research to develop rapid purification of recombinant proteins through protein nanoparticle crosslinking and light-responsive nanobodies. This work supports the National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering's mission to foster...

The National Science Foundation awarded Sarkar-Klein-Labs, LLC a $225,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to support the STTR PHASE I: PROTEASE-BASED PURIFICATION OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN MATRIX METALLOPROTEASES project. This two-year project beginning February 1, 2021 aims to develop protease-based purification methods for recombinant human matrix metalloproteases, which are enzymes involved in tissue remodeling and disease processes. The...

This $255,982 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of sustainable, cost-effective viral clearance membranes by Filtravate, Inc. to enable efficient monoclonal antibody processing. The NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program seeks technologies leading to breakthrough solutions for national challenges. Specifically, Filtravate will develop a virus filtration membrane using a synthesis process that is more sustainable and affordable than conventional...

This $275,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program supports the development of a label-free, high-resolution, high-throughput protein screening platform called Vibrational Spectroscopy with Metasurface Optics (VISMO). The technology aims to enable simultaneous, minute-scale measurement of millions of protein samples, which would dramatically improve the lengthy and costly cycles...

This $902,504 cooperative agreement from the National Science Foundation Division of Industrial Innovation under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports the development of a scalable downstream purification process for gene therapy vectors by Isolere Bio, Inc. of Durham, North Carolina. The non-chromatographic method seeks to address current inefficiencies that lead to single digit yields by utilizing a polypeptide-based reagent combining affinity capture with phase separation and...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Cooperative Agreement award under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084) provides $1,248,994 to Opera Bioscience, Inc. to develop a cost-effective, high-purity recombinant protein production platform using a gram-negative bacterial secretion system. The project aims to optimize industrial-scale manufacturing processes for 3 different protein classes, enhance downstream processes, and create scalable workflows and...

Micropure Genomics Inc. received a $274,199 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation to advance methods for rapid, end-to-end sample preparation for sequencing applications. Under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084), the company will develop an automated process relying on electro-hydrodynamic trapping to isolate genomic material like DNA or RNA from cells in a flow cartridge. The process aims to significantly reduce preparation time while...