# Accurate, High-Throughput, and Affordable Nucleic Acid Sequencing Technology

> **NIH NIH R43** · WEDDELL TECHNOLOGIES LLC · 2021 · $349,967

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Remarkable progress in cancer immunotherapy, and decreasing cost of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
diagnostics, have sparked clinical tests targeting tumor-immune cell interactions using genomic tools. Non-small
cell lung cancer (NSCLC) exemplifies precision medicine with multiple FDA-approved biomarkers. Despite these
advancements, the practical use of NGS remains limited. Instrument setup and operating costs are prohibitive
for the majority of smaller labs. Patient samples thus need to be shipped to specific labs set up for conducting
the test, which results in longer turnaround time and higher costs. Short turnaround time plays a vital role in
clinical decisions. The availability of NGS at local CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) labs will
take us one step closer to truly personalized healthcare.
This project develops a first-of-its-kind biosensor chip for long-read nucleic acid sequencing. The proposed lab-
on-chip technology allows the parallel detection of incorporated bases into a growing strand of DNA. The
technology requires a relatively low capital investment to allow smaller laboratories to acquire the instrument and
provide medical professionals with critical information, such as the ideal timing of future injected doses and any
potential side effects. The critical innovations behind the proposed technology include its high-throughput
biosensor architecture, the ability to scale-up manufacturing using existing silicon foundries, simple operation
and product design, and real-time data analysis. Moreover, the commercialization of the proposed technology is
facilitated by a mature semiconductor industry to achieve this high level of multiplexing in a small form factor.
The proposed project focuses on engineering and optimization of the proposed biosensor platform and iterative
development using a well-characterized cytomegalovirus CDR3β sequence. This Phase I project will use
synthetic templates for technology validation and calculation of the consensus accuracy. Successful completion
of the project will provide a proof-of-concept, informing the productization and commercialization of the
technology. The global DNA sequencing market is expected to grow to $25B in 2025 at a CAGR of 19.0%, with
a potential immune monitoring sector worth over $3B. If successful, the proposed technology will be a
groundbreaking development in clinical NGS diagnostics, especially for early and accurate profiling of the T cell
receptor repertoire in fast-developing infectious diseases. More affordable and available sequencing will advance
the effectiveness of the treatment for cancer and infectious diseases for millions of people around the world.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10258663
- **Project number:** 1R43HG011836-01
- **Recipient organization:** WEDDELL TECHNOLOGIES LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Farshid Ghasemi
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $349,967
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10258663

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10258663, Accurate, High-Throughput, and Affordable Nucleic Acid Sequencing Technology (1R43HG011836-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10258663. Licensed CC0.

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