Carbon Design Innovations, Inc. (C|D|I) today announced that it has grant in the amount of $390,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The grant will fund the development and commercialization of Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probes for bioimaging and investigations in cellular biology.
Carbon Design Innovations Awarded NIH SBIR Grant to Develop CNT AFM Probes
"CNT AFM probes offer very high-aspect ratio AFM imaging capabilities. The ability to understanding the detail of cell structures will enable advancements in protein and cell membrane analysis, bone cellular interface, drug delivery, and a CNT advanced sensor platform," said Vance Nau, CEO at C|D|I.
C|D|I has developed the nanofabrication methods and has the IP that will allow the company to design a high-aspect ratio CNT AFM probe for life sciences research. Nau continued, "With the NIH funding, we plan to build on our unique ability to make straight, strong and durable CNT AFM probes to develop probes for imaging biomaterials and cells in much greater detail than current Si, SiN or CNT probes can provide." C|D|I will collaborate with the University of California at Davis on the development of the probes.
CNT AFM probes from C|D|I are engineered from the micro to the nanoscale with precise dimensions, angles and material properties offering longer lifetime, higher resolution and greater flexibility than other commercially available probes.