A standard laboratory tool for measuring pharmacological activity of biological substances and performing other related tests may soon be replaced by a new miniaturized bioassay that will be faster, cheaper and more efficient for scientists to use, with new technology developed by
The new assay, named DropArray, slashes the time needed to run certain lab tests by over 60% and reduces consumable costs by nearly 90%, while maintaining the same level of flexibility and convenience as conventional platforms.
“Our technology has the potential to accelerate life science, drug discovery and clinical research,†said IBN Team Leader Dr Namyong Kim. “Using our technology, companies can benefit from huge savings in time and money spent on research and development and this would have a direct impact on the cost of medication and new drugs for the consumer.”
IBN’s DropArray represents a unique integration of surface chemistry and microfluidics designed to reduce the amount of material and reagent required by up to 1,000 times, while simultaneously cutting the reaction time by up to 10 folds, making it faster and cheaper than standard bioassays.
Each DropArray chip comprises a small (1 inch by 3 inch) flat rectangular patterned glass slide, with hundreds or thousands of hydrophilic glass “wells” surrounded by a hydrophobic coating.
IBN’s DropArray is able to miniaturize bioassays from 50-100 microliters down to 100 nanoliters, making it possible for researchers to conduct various cell-based tests including cancer stem cell immunoassays that had previously been extremely challenging with conventional technology.
Furthermore, the reduction in the volume of samples and reagents required provides similar advantages for protein-based assays such as ELISA with limited human and animal serum such as Human Leptin and Endostatin assays.
IBN was established less than five years ago with the mission to conduct exciting scientific research with significant commercial impact. Since then, it has filed more than 420 patents, and the research team of one chemist, one biologist, one biomedical engineer, one mechanical engineer and one chemical engineer has taken less than three years to develop a novel technology platform that would contribute significantly to reducing the cost of drug development and medication.
