SBIR Phase II: Scaling Platforms for Translational Research and Therapeutic Screening

The broader impact /commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to establish a scalable and data-rich platform. The project has three main objectives: (1) expand the current biobank with increased metadata acquisition, (2) automate culture and imaging workflows with proprietary media formulations to increase throughput and reproducibility, and (3) integrate multi-modal data into an AI-powered predictive model. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to advance and validate models including new approach methodologies (NAMs) to replace other models. The core challenge addressed is the lack of scalable, relevant systems that capture inflammation and remodeling. The research will optimize standardized culture conditions, and develop immune-competent models that incorporate multiple cell types. Longitudinal perturbation studies will be used to characterize relevant biological responses across imaging, inflammatory markers, and gene expression. The project will also integrate computational methods to identify reproducible patterns across donors and experimental conditions. Anticipated outcomes include improved reproducibility, higher-throughput workflows, and validated biological readouts suitable for early efficacy testing. These technical advances are intended to establish a robust preclinical platform that can support downstream therapeutic development and future U.S. clinical translation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.