SBIR-STTR Award

Gas Chromatography-Molecular Rotational Resonance Spectrometer NIH SBIR Direct to Phase II BrightSpec, Inc. This project proposes the development of the first commercial gas chromatography-molecular rotational resonance (GC-MRR) spectrometer for analytical characterization of complex mixtures such as biological fluids and tissues, natural products, or environmental water sources. MRR is a spectroscopic technique for unambiguous structure determination and quantitation of small molecules, which has been used for decades in academic research laboratories but only recently commercialized by BrightSpec, driven by recent groundbreaking innovations. The key advantages of MRR motivating its incorporation into a gas chromatography hyphenated system are its selectivity to isomeric compounds, absolute quantitation capabilities, and identification of unknowns without reference standards. GC-MRR not only complements existing techniques (such as mass spectrometry and NMR), but also adds new insights to enhance discovery in numerous fields of research. A proof-of-concept prototype GC-MRR instrument has been used to demonstrate its capabilities to resolve complex mixtures, including co-eluting isotopologues and isotopomers. This preliminary work has de-risked this proposed Phase II project, where this prototype will be refined to develop a product with the sensitivity, speed, and ease-of-use necessary to facilitate its commercial adoption. This includes both the instrument hardware to quickly and precisely measure MRR spectra of analytes as they elute from the chromatographic column, and the software interface to allow users to easily set up measurements, visualize data, and interpret the results. The product will then be tested thoroughly on relevant samples in the market areas where GC-MRR is expected to have the greatest impact. Finally, following this extensive evaluation, the product design will be refined for commercial launch at or before the end of the grant period. The completed GC-MRR product holds the promise to enable breakthrough research in a number of high-impact health-related fields, including metabolomics, natural products drug discovery, and monitoring of environmental pollutants, among others.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Gas Chromatography-Molecular Rotational Resonance Spectrometer NIH SBIR Direct to Phase II BrightSpec, Inc. Project Narrative Small molecule analysis lies at the heart of basic research in many areas, for example in understanding and monitoring biological systems, where measuring amino acids and sugars, drugs and their metabolites, and toxins give critical insight. The proposed project will significantly enhance researchers’ ability to identify and quantify small molecules through the combination of a GC separation system and an MRR detector that is singularly selective to subtle changes in molecular structure. The resulting first commercial GC-MRR will allow researchers to learn more about their samples than is possible with current methods and improve the speed with which new groundbreaking discoveries can be made.

Project Terms:
3-Dimensional; Adoption; Amino Acids; Amino Sugars; Analytical Chemistry; Applications Grants; Area; Award; base; Basic Science; Benchmarking; Biological; Biological Markers; Biological Monitoring; biological systems; commercialization; Complement; Complex Mixtures; Computer software; Coupling; Data; design; detector; Development; drug discovery; enantiomer; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Environmental Pollution; Evaluation; Gas Chromatography; Generations; Geometry; Grant; Health; Heart; improved; innovation; insight; instrument; Isomerism; Laboratory Research; Learning; Libraries; Liquid substance; Mass Fragmentography; mass spectrometer; Mass Spectrum Analysis; Measurement; Measures; metabolomics; Methods; Molecular; Molecular Structure; Molecular Weight; Natural Product Drug; Natural Products; Paper; Peer Review; Performance; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pharmacologic Substance; Phase; Protocols documentation; prototype; Reference Standards; Research; Research Personnel; Risk; Rotation; Sampling; screening; Series; Shapes; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; small molecule; Source; Specificity; Speed; Structure; System; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Tissues; Toxin; United States National Institutes of Health; Water; Work

Gas Chromatography-Molecular Rotational Resonance SpectrometerNIH SBIR Direct to Phase IIBrightSpec, Inc.This project proposes the development of the first commercial gas chromatography-molecularrotational resonance (GC-MRR) spectrometer for analytical characterization of complex mixturessuch as biological fluids and tissues, natural products, or environmental water sources. MRR is aspectroscopic technique for unambiguous structure determination and quantitation of smallmolecules, which has been used for decades in academic research laboratories but only recentlycommercialized by BrightSpec, driven by recent groundbreaking innovations. The key advantagesof MRR motivating its incorporation into a gas chromatography hyphenated system are itsselectivity to isomeric compounds, absolute quantitation capabilities, and identification ofunknowns without reference standards. GC-MRR not only complements existing techniques (suchas mass spectrometry and NMR), but also adds new insights to enhance discovery in numerousfields of research.A proof-of-concept prototype GC-MRR instrument has been used to demonstrate its capabilitiesto resolve complex mixtures, including co-eluting isotopologues and isotopomers. Thispreliminary work has de-risked this proposed Phase II project, where this prototype will be refinedto develop a product with the sensitivity, speed, and ease-of-use necessary to facilitate itscommercial adoption. This includes both the instrument hardware to quickly and precisely measureMRR spectra of analytes as they elute from the chromatographic column, and the softwareinterface to allow users to easily set up measurements, visualize data, and interpret the results. Theproduct will then be tested thoroughly on relevant samples in the market areas where GC-MRR isexpected to have the greatest impact. Finally, following this extensive evaluation, the productdesign will be refined for commercial launch at or before the end of the grant period.The completed GC-MRR product holds the promise to enable breakthrough research in a numberof high-impact health-related fields, including metabolomics, natural products drug discovery, andmonitoring of environmental pollutants, among others.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Gas Chromatography-Molecular Rotational Resonance Spectrometer NIH SBIR Direct to Phase II BrightSpec, Inc. Project Narrative Small molecule analysis lies at the heart of basic research in many areas, for example in understanding and monitoring biological systems, where measuring amino acids and sugars, drugs and their metabolites, and toxins give critical insight. The proposed project will significantly enhance researchers' ability to identify and quantify small molecules through the combination of a GC separation system and an MRR detector that is singularly selective to subtle changes in molecular structure. The resulting first commercial GC-MRR will allow researchers to learn more about their samples than is possible with current methods and improve the speed with which new groundbreaking discoveries can be made.

Project Terms:
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