Picosense, www.picosense.com a California company on November 26, received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) www.nsf,gov for $748,389. The funding through the SBIR Phase II program at www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503355 will provide funds to do research to enable the production and commercialization of a contactless and portable heart-rate device based on magnetic sensing technology that is capable of detecting small magnetic signals generated by the heart.
The proposed technology would enable heart-rate and heart waveform detection without any contact to the skin. This is contrary to standard ECG based devices requiring uncomfortable electrodes, adhesives, and chest straps to operate. Plus, this technology can be manufactured at low cost and can easily be miniaturized.
The goal is to provide an unobtrusive and comfortable way to evaluate the heart. It is ideal for sports enthusiasts to use for fitness heart monitoring and for heart disease patients that require an accurate continuous and long term heart monitoring solution.
The technology would be designed to be easily integrated with bracelets, smart-watches, or simply placed in a pocket while constantly measuring the heart function. Because of the technology’s small size and low cost to manufacture, the technology could be easily integrated with wearables.
In other SBIR Phase II funding news, a company called NanoCellect Biomedical, Inc. http://nanocellect.com, has developed and commercialized a novel microchip-based sorting technology.
Their first product, called the WOLF™ Cell Sorter uses a closed fluid-path cartridge enabling easy-to-use cell sorting that simplifies analysis and sorts distinct cells from a heterogeneous population. The sorter avoids biohazard and shear stress issues associated with traditional cell sorters.
NanoCellect was awarded a Phase II SBIR research grant for $2.8 million from NIH’s National Institute of General Medicine Sciences (NIGMS) www.nigms.nih.gov plus a Phase II SBIR contract from NCI www.cancer.gov to support NanoCellect’s flow cytometry technology. So far, NanoCellect has won over $6 million in NIH awards. The company is now seeking a strategic partnership to launch their technology.