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Armonica Technologies Nabs $2M NHGRI Grant; Partners With U New Mexico, UC-Irvine

NEW YORK – Armonica Technologies said on Wednesday that it has received a $2 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute.

The follow-on Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant is for "single-molecule DNA/RNA transport and Raman scattering readout in a coupled nanochannel/nanopore sequencing system." The Albuquerque, New Mexico-based firm will use the funding to continue development of its single-molecule long-read sequencing technology.

As part of the grant, Armonica is partnering with Jeremy Edwards of the University of New Mexico and Eric Potma of the University of California, Irvine. Other details about the partnerships were not disclosed.

"Armonica's unique technology provides the exciting capability to read the optical spectra, or 'spectral fingerprint,' of individual nucleotides, including any epigenetic modifications," CSO Steve Brueck said in a statement. "Measurements are made at the single molecule level using surface-enhanced Raman scattering."

In a statement, the firm said it has "demonstrated the ability to linearize and control the motion of single large molecules of single- and double-strand DNA and has demonstrated single-base sensitivity using a proprietary [Raman spectroscopy] approach."

The grant follows a $349,200 SBIR Phase I award to Armonica in 2021.

The firm closed a $2 million Series B financing round in October 2021.

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