Spheryx announced the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the company a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $1,500,000 over 2 years to support the modification of their proprietary Total Holographic Characterization technology to meet the specific needs of the biologics pharmaceutical industry. These highly competitive grants are intended to stimulate technological innovation and commercialization for small businesses.
Although a beta version of Spheryx's xSight instrument for Total Holographic Characterization is currently available for sale to select customer/partner companies, xSight will require additional functionality to meet the needs of the biologics industry. Innovations funded by this grant include high volume sample handling, high-speed flow, and detailed three-dimensional structures of protein aggregates to distinguish them from other contaminants.
"This Phase II SBIR award will enable us to deliver a powerful tool for the biologics industry. Enhancement of xSight will support their efforts to create the next generation of biologic pharmaceutical products and insure that they are safe for consumers," Dr. Laura Philips, Founder, President and CEO, said.