SBIR-STTR Award

The development of a hand-held instrument utilizing disposable nanoband sensors is proposed. Preliminary testing of a benchtop prototype developed at OC Technologies using repolishable nanoband electrodes has demonstrated the ability to measure Zn, Cd, Pb, and Hg with sensitivities of 50 ppb in a ten second measurement. Sensitivities exceeding 100 ppt are possible with measurement times of five minutes. The Phase I effort will focus on the development of disposable Nano- Band sensors and a hand-held electrochemical system. Nano-Band sensors are 150 times more efficient than microdisk electrodes when used for anodic stripping analysis and the ability to fabricate disposable sensors provides the enabling technology for a low-cost hand-held trace metal analysis system that is able to use existing protocols for the determination of toxic metals in a variety of fluids including water, blood, and urine. The Phase I effort will result in a hand-held prototype system capable of 100 ppt sensitivity in under five minutes. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The need for hand-held instrumentation capable of rapid on-site detection of trace metals in a variety of sample matrices is vase and so the market potential for such an analyzer is large encompassing both US and Foreign markets. Examples include on-site analysis of blood and urine, on-site analysis of contaminated sites, and rapid assessment of processes for industrial control.

Thesaurus Terms:
biomedical equipment development, electrochemistry, metal, monitoring device, portable biomedical equipment, trace element cadmium, electrode, lead, mercury, miniature biomedical equipment, zinc

OC Technologies, LLC (d.b.a. TraceDetect) is dedicated to the development and commercialization of a suite of trace-metal monitors based on a new, patented technology. The work detailed in this proposal will commercialize this technology for point-of-care use in a clinical setting. The goal of this research is to move metals monitoring out of the analytical labs and to the point-of-interest/care. The sensor detects metals at trace and ultra-trace levels: the detection limit is in the low parts-per-billion (0.1 micrograms per deciliter) range. Coupled with instantaneous results and superior accuracy, these detection limits will provide with accurate and point-of-care screening for toxic metals in children, adults, and their environment. To support in cost-effective screening we will develop reliable and inexpensive disposable sensors and identify simple sample preparation techniques for blood, saliva, soil, and dust. This monitor will measure lead, mercury, and cadmium in biological fluids at parts per billion (ppb) and sub-ppb levels. It will also measure these contaminants in water and other aqueous solutions at the same detection levels, making it suitable for many applications, from municipal water and industrial process control to the environmental, analytical, and work place safety markets.

Thesaurus Terms:
biomedical equipment development, electrochemistry, metal, monitoring device, portable biomedical equipment, trace element cadmium, electrode, lead, mercury, miniature biomedical equipment, zinc emission spectrometry