Fayetteville, Arkansas — Vegrandis, LLC has received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for $150,000 for development of a new technology termed carbon nanopipettes (CNPs).  These devices were originally conceived at the University of Pennsylvania which will collaborate with Vegrandis on this Phase I project.  The collaborative effort will demonstrate the unique capabilities of CNPs for combining ultra-sensitive detection of biomolecules with nano-fluidic delivery.  Potential applications include medical diagnostics, high-throughput screening and life sciences research.  Upon completion of the Phase I project, Vegrandis will be eligible to apply for additional research and development funding in Phase II and IIB of up to $1 million from NSF.

Carbon nanopipettes have a shape and structure that is unlike other nanoscale devices.  CNPs can be applied for fluid handling in high-throughput, micro-titer assays with off-the-shelf 96, 384, and 1536 well plates.  In addition, since carbon is conductive, the CNPs can act as individually addressable electrodes for electrochemical analysis at nanoscale.  The nanopipette and nanoelectrode properties can be employed simultaneously for a complete fluid handling/electrochemical detection system.

There are numerous market segments in which Vegrandis can compete using the CNP technology.  The micro-titer assay market is already a multi-billion dollar market.  Other emerging markets could also provide a strong opportunity for the CNP technology.  For example, drug discovery has been driving high throughput screening (HTS) methods to higher density formats and smaller assay volumes.  The HTS market has been growing at about a 19% annual rate and is expected to be about a $540 million market by 2009.