CombiMatrix and Texas A&M University Receive Grant from the National Academies

Acacia Research Corporation has announced that its CombiMatrix group, in collaboration with Texas A&M University, has been awarded a National Academies Keck Futures Initiative grant (NAKFI).

The grant will fund a novel method to increase the speed of hybridization in DNA microarray applications.

The co-Principal Investigators will be Dr. Robin Liu of CombiMatrix Corporation and Prof. Victor Ugaz of Texas A&M University.

This award will enable the two collaborators to begin initial studies to obtain data that will serve as the cornerstone for additional funding.

The activities funded under this proposal will attempt to develop a simple and low-cost, but highly effective technique to reduce hybridization time and improve signal uniformity across the microarray.

"A rapid, field compatible and low-cost hybridization enhancement technique would result in a revolutionary step forward in DNA microarray capabilities," said Dr. Robin Liu, Manager of Microfluidic Technology at CombiMatrix.

"This proposal will address this need by combining our expertise in microarrays and fluid dynamics to develop a versatile technique for DNA microarray enhancement."

"This work will be the first time these approaches have been applied toward biomolecule hybridization and offer the exciting possibility of providing the foundation for an entirely new family of rapid and sensitive microarray-based assays."

"The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative grant is highly competitive, and we are honored that the NAKFI committee selected us for the award."

Dr. Robert Waterston, Chair of the NAKFI Genomics Steering Committee, stated, "The Committee noted that many fine grant proposals were received, making the final decision difficult."

"The goal of the Futures Grant program is to enable further pursuit of important new ideas and connections stimulated by the Genomics conference by bringing people together in a variety of new ways and sparking new research."

"The Steering Committee felt the CombiMatrix/Texas A&M proposal would help to achieve this goal."