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Design Software for DNA-Based Sensing Nano-Architectures

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Army
Contract: W911NF-11-C-0076
Agency Tracking Number: O10B-003-2002
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: OSD10-T003
Solicitation Number: 2010.B
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2010
Award Year: 2011
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2011-04-11
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
11260 Roger Bacon Drive Suite 406
Reston, VA -
United States
DUNS: 828881305
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Steven Armentrout
 President
 (703) 689-9689
 steve@parabon.com
Business Contact
 Paula Gawthorp-Armentrout
Title: Corporate Officer
Phone: (703) 689-9689
Email: parmentrout@parabon.com
Research Institution
 Marshall University Research Corp
 Janice Morgan
 
401 11th Street Suite 1400
Huntington, WV 25701-2225
United States

 (304) 696-2468
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

Beginning from an advanced stage of development, this Phase I SBIR project will produce design automation software for creating DNA nanostructures for a wide variety of applications, remedying a deficit that has stymied advancement in this promising field. Building atop an established grid computing platform, the software will combine a robust, easy-to-use, CAD (computer-aided design) interface, which allows for the specification of complex DNA-based nano-sensor architectures, with a grid-powered sequence optimization engine that computes the sequence-sets required for reliable self-assembly of specified designs. The research plan calls for the integration of a nearest neighbor thermodynamics model with an opportunistic evolutionary search algorithm to effect sequence optimization across a large-scale computational grid. These new capabilities will reduce defects and increase the manufacturing yield of designed nanostructures, and provide designers with novel control over the order of DNA self-assembly, which in turn will lead to products with enhanced functionality. To test the resultant software, a prototype nano-scale molecular capture system will be designed and its formation experimentally validated in Phase I. A capture and reporter bio-sensor system will be developed and demonstrated in Phase II.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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