Sofie Biosciences, an emerging in vivo imaging diagnostics company focused on PET probes, scanners and chemistry systems,announced today that the National Institute of Health has awarded the company a grant under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This Phase II award, for approximately $1.8M over three years, will be administered by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to support the development of the firstdigital chiptechnologyfor the rapid and easy synthesis of PET probes for neurobiology applications.

"This award is further validation of the potential for digital microfluidics to have a significant impact in research and patient care.  It also comes in the wake of Illumina's acquisition of Advanced Liquid Logic for next-generation sequencingbased on the same digital fluidic handling principle known as electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD),” said Patrick Phelps, President & CEO.

By developing a point-of-care radiosynthesizer that integrates the many unit operations for synthesis, purification, and quality control into a benchtop, affordabledevice, scientists and physiciansin diverse fields may now have access tothe vast library (3,000+) of PET probeswithout the normal infrastructure of prohibitively expensive equipment and specialized personnel that is currently a roadblock to using PET. The technology in this grantwill provide researchers and clinicians additional tools to studythe brain in normal and diseased states, and subsequently develop therapeutics to improve patient quality of life.

These funds will augment internal R&D investment, allowing the company to accelerate the commercialization of a microfluidic-based radiosynthesizer for synthesizing PET probes on-demand for brain imaging and other applications. Dr. Melissa Moore, Senior Director of Technology Development, who will be the Principal Investigator working in close collaboration with sub award investigator, Dr. R. Michael van Dam, at UCLA, commented, “We are so fortunate, especially in the current funding climate, to be awarded this Phase II from the NIMH, signaling their support to bring a revolutionary technology to market. We believe that miniaturizing all aspects of radiosynthesis, including shielding and reaction volumes, is a critical step to providing the freedom to synthesize PET probes on demandin a fully-automated, reasonably pricedpackage.”