ASBTDC client Nanomatronix (NMT) has received a $750,000 Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award through the Department of Defense AFWERX program. The company will use the funding to finalize a brain chip that will allow for improved understanding of traumatic brain injury.
The Need
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a devastating injury characterized by brain damage caused by external mechanical forces such as a blow or jolt to the head.
TBI is considered the signature injury in modern warfare and affects 10 million people annually worldwide.
“In the United States, there are an estimated 1.7 million new cases of TBI per year, with approximately 70% treated in emergency hospitals. Twenty percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan experienced a TBI, 70-80% of which involved blast injury. In most cases, a TBI is caused by a single impact. However, there are increasing instances of repetitive traumatic insults to the brain that cause increased vulnerability to downstream pathology. TBI is closely associated with alterations of the blood-brain barrier,” Chief Executive Officer Dr. Matthew Leftwich said.
Expanding on the research need, Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Parker Cole said, “The current gap in research is that there is a lack of benchtop models that recapitulate the TBI process for the purpose of studying long-term disease mechanisms and as a platform for drug development, safety, and efficacy testing. Existing brain-chip microphysiological systems do not accurately represent the mechanical aspect that is crucial in studying the effects of TBI on brain structure.”
The SBIR Direct-to-Phase II project will build on the company’s previous Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) efforts.
“The specific need for a brain chip to study the long-term disease mechanisms associated with TBI was originally defined through a traditional Department of Defense Air Force STTR Phase I research topic. The Phase II solicitation was never released by the DoD. Fortunately, we were able to keep momentum by successfully transitioning this program to an AFWERX Direct-to-Phase II SBIR mechanism,” said Cole.
The Solution
In response to the Department of Defense’s need for an improved system to study mechanisms for pathology and therapeutic strategies in repeated TBI, the company is developing the Advanced Microphysiological Brain Injury Technology (AMBIT) Platform, a brain chip that will provide a TBI-like mechanical insult to study its effects on the blood-brain barrier.
“The AMBIT Platform is relevant for drug discovery and testing in the context of TBI-mediated pathologies and other neurotrauma sequelae. AMBIT, designed using iPSC-derived cells, will play an important role in precision medicine because the cellular components can be derived from patient-specific, clinical-grade cells,” Leftwich affirmed. “Our Phase I work resulted in proving feasibility of developing the AMBIT platform with human-induced pluripotent stem cells. We also focused on developing first-generation electrodes to provide plug-and-play functionality and complement the user-friendliness of the product.”
The NMT team’s research and development efforts will continue in Phase II. “We will focus on expanding the cell culture dynamics of AMBIT Platform to constitute more neuronal cell types as well as integrating real-time sensing modalities for continuous, on-demand biometric analytics. We are also working to optimize protocols and procedures while readying personnel for initial product launch shortly after the Phase II is completed,” shared Cole.
Throughout the development of AMBIT, Nanomatronix has been doing customer discovery interviews. Nanomatronix received an STTR Phase I award from the National Science Foundation to develop complementary research and development work on the AMBIT Platform. During their recent participation in NSF’s I-Corps program, the team spoke with various players within their product’s target customer ecosystem.
ASBTDC Assistance
Nanomatronix has been a client of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center for over three years, primarily working with innovation specialist Rebecca Todd.
“ASBTDC has provided us with thorough marketing reports to aid in preparing our commercialization plans. Having access to such information is critical, not only for the proposal-related documentation, but for gaining an appreciation and understanding of the target market,” said Leftwich. “By understanding key aspects of your target market, you develop market awareness and can begin to identify strategic avenues for market entry.”
The Nanomatronix Team
Nanomatronix has a team of experienced and cross-functional individuals with backgrounds in biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, immunology, materials science, chemical engineering, and microelectronics. CEO Leftwich has successfully led several technologies through SBIR and STTR programs with a high rate of commercialization.
Cole has served as principal investigator for all related SBIR/STTR awards and customer discovery efforts. He is supported by a team of biomedical engineers, including Angeline Rodriguez, Amanda Walls, and Josh Dixon, who will be working on programmatic tasks and product development.
In addition to his role as Biotechnology co-director, Dr. Cole promotes business development and customer engagement across NMT’s business units.
Dr. Gage Greening, chief technology officer, helps lead technology development efforts in NMT’s Biotechnology and Microelectronics units.
Nanomatronix is working closely with Dr. Kartik Balachandran from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Balachandran’s team has been instrumental in creating the AMBIT Platform and will continue to be a valuable partner for technology development.
The company is also partnering with the University of Arkansas GENESIS Technology Incubator. State funding has been provided by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Technology Development Program. Support for the commercialization and development of this project is also provided by the Arkansas Research and Technology Park and the Arkansas Technology Development Foundation.
What’s Next for Nanomatronix?
“We are really excited about the commercialization potential of the AMBIT Platform. During the AFWERX Phase II program, we are looking into the future and working with a few Air Force groups to secure Phase III funding and preparing to deliver our product to the Air Force. In tandem, Nanomatronix is preparing for a National Science Foundation Phase II STTR submission for continued product development of the AMBIT Platform for the commercial market – based on key insights from our NSF National I-Corps experience,” Cole said.
Regarding other business development pursuits, Leftwich added, “We are leading DoD and NASA SBIR/STTR commercialization efforts for the Microelectronics business unit and conducting a pilot study with our Avian Immunology Dermatological Test Service with a poultry industry partner.”
Nanomatronix has received great community support thus far in their product development efforts.
“Moving forward, we would be happy to speak with anyone and everyone that has interest in our AMBIT platform. Our ultimate goal is to deliver an innovative solution to aid in neurological disease and disorder research and promote therapeutic and diagnostic discovery and development,” said Cole.
