Award Data

The objective of this SBIR Phase I proposal is to determine the feasibility of viscosity characterization of high concentration protein formulations (HCF) by QATCH’s microcapillary quartz technology. HCFs are non-Newtonian fluids with shear-thinning behavior and they are administered to patients by subcutaneous or muscular injections. The injectability of HCFs depends on the viscosity at high-sh ...

Nerve agents exert their toxic effect by binding to and inactivating enzyme acetylcholinesterase, a key enzymatic regulator of cholinergic neurotransmission. The binding becomes irreversible after a varying amount of time with nerve agents and this aging process limits the treatment window of oxime reactivators. To enhance the current antidote treatment of nerve agent autoinjectors, a pyridostigmi ...

There are many products that can identify chemical weapons. They range in complexity from simple colorimetric chemical test strips or gas tubes, to more complex multi-step test kits, to intricate arrays of gas chromatographs and mass spectrometers. None of the products is specifically designed to illustrate the presence of chemicals on surfaces or have use as a decontamination assurance method. ...

Regenerative medicine is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that will result in new engineered medical products. The introduction of a high-resolution, non-destructive imaging technique that is capable of penetrating deeply into the highly-scattering scaffold medium has the means to accelerate the development and commercial utilization of these novel materials. Multi-photon microscopy (MPM) is b ...

The pressing need exists within industry to accurately measure high aspect ratio microscale structures. For example, diesel injector nozzles are manufactured with microscale holes ranging from 50-200 micrometers in diameter and 3-5 mm depths. One fundamental challenge is to nondestrucvely measure these features in order to validate models, enhance manufacturing processes, and reduce fuel emissions ...

Manning Applied Technology proposes to develop a handheld infrared spectrometer, ideally suited to detection of airborne chemical agents at and below permissible exposure limits. This approach offers unmatched sensitivity and specificity for detection of all types of chemical vapors. The instrument is modular, rugged, compact and highly sensitive. Volume pricing will be less than $1000 each. ...

The overall objective of this proposal is to demonstrated that imidazenil is a more potent and safer protective agent than diazepam against chemical warfare nerve agent (CWNA)-induced seizure/status epilepticus, neuropathology, and neurobehavioral deficits. Thus we will compare the dose-dependent efficacy of imidazenil or diazepam administered alone and in combination with levetiracetam in protect ...

The current state of the art of in silico drug discovery or computer aided drug discovery relies almost exclusively on molecular mechanics force fields, such as AMBER and CHARMM, and empirical potentials. It is well known that while these approaches are excellent for certain applications, they have thus far proven less then satisfactory for thorough understanding the interactions of enzyme-inhibi ...

MCNC PROPOSES A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND EVALUATION OF THREE PROMISING APPROACHES TO THE FABRICATION OF SURFACE TEST STRUCTURES ON SILICON. SURFACE FEATURES ON THE FIRST STRUCTURE WILL BE PRODUCED BY CONTROLLABLY ETCHING THERMALLYGROWN OXIDES. FEATURES ON THE SECOND WILL BE MADE BY ETCHING PIEZOELECTRIC THIN FILMS. USING THE PIEZOELECTRIC FILM AS PART OF A CAPACITOR, STEP-HEIGHT CAN BE VARIED AND PRO ...

INADEQUATE STARTER FEEDS SEVERELY HOLD BACK NEW AQUACULTURE ENTERPRISES SUCH AS PRESENT ATTEMPTS TO RAISE FISHES WHOSE LARVAE DEVELOP FROM SMALL EGGS AND HAVE VERY "DIFFICULT" FOOD REQUIREMENTS. INERT LARVAL FEEDS HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLYELIMINATED THE STRICT DEPENDENCY ON NATURAL FORAGE DURING THE CRITICAL POST-LARVAL STAGE AFTER YOLK ABSORPTION AND BEFORE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WITH ...