NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Nextval has received a $500,000 Phase II SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation to support further development and commercialization of its high-throughput screening system that employs mass spectrometry imaging and microarrays.
The Encinitas, Calif.-based firm said the system is a "novel integration of a nanoliter volume acoustic dispense device with chip-based mass spectrometry." It produces high-density arrays that are analyzed with mass spec imaging and computational algorithms to rapidly screen chemical libraries for high-value molecules, the firm said. It also doesn't require sample labeling.
Nextval said its phase II efforts are focused on a screening product for cellulose enzyme discovery, an enzyme used for production of alternative fuels.
The technology also may be applied to discovery of new enzymes and molecules for the industrial, environmental, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic markets, said Nextval.