# Development of a charge-sensitive optical detection system for high-throughput study of small molecules

> **NIH NIH R44** · BIOSENSING INSTRUMENT, INC. · 2022 · $829,265

## Abstract

TITLE:
Development of a charge sensitive optical detection system for high-throughput study of small molecules
SUMMARY
Measuring the kinetics of small molecule binding to protein receptors and biochemical reactions of proteins, such
as post-translational protein modifications, is a basic task in the understanding of diseases, discovering of
diagnosis biomarkers, and screening of drugs. Various label-free techniques have been developed, but their
sensitivity decreases with the molecular mass, which makes it challenging to detect small molecules and
biochemical reactions. A charge sensitive optical detection (CSOD) system is proposed to address this unmet
need. The technology is not only sensitive to small molecules, but also compatible with the standard microplate
technology, which is particularly suitable for high-throughput applications. The working principle was established
and validated with the support of NIH NCI IMAT (Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies for cancer
research) grants (R21 and R33) to the Arizona State University (ASU) team. In this SBIR direct phase II project,
Biosensing Instrument Inc. (BI) will work with the ASU team to develop a commercially viable prototype system.
We will continue collaborations with potential customers in biomedical research and pharmaceutical industries
for testing samples relevant to their interest and validating the performance usability of the developing system.
 The success of the project will lead to a new high-throughput screening technology for measuring molecular
interactions, particularly small molecule interactions with proteins, and post-translational modifications of
proteins. These processes are highly important for biomarker discovery, disease diagnosis and drug screening.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10407060
- **Project number:** 5R44GM139535-02
- **Recipient organization:** BIOSENSING INSTRUMENT, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Nguyen Ly
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $829,265
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-05-18 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10407060

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10407060, Development of a charge-sensitive optical detection system for high-throughput study of small molecules (5R44GM139535-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10407060. Licensed CC0.

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