Grant: Idea to Innovation

Drug screening is a cornerstone of modern medical research and drug discovery. In recent years, this process has been industrialized by the use of robots, imaging systems, and sophisticated software to manage the workflow of biological samples and fluids at incredible speed. One of the workhorses of these systems are microwell plates, which are miniaturized containers arrayed in standardized way to work with robotic systems. Currently, each microwell is treated with a different drug and the effect on the cells within the microwell is evaluated. However, a key limitation is that current drug screening methods do not account for the fact that every cell is unique and may respond differently, causing certain groups of cells with drug resistance to be overlooked and ultimately producing therapies that fail over the long term. We have developed a new way of subdividing microwells into thousands of smaller containers called "nanowells," which are only large enough to fit single cells or cell clusters. Like conventional drug screens, our microwell plates will fit seamlessly with existing robotics and imaging systems. However, the nanowells within each microwell will allow researchers to study the differences in how individual cells might respond to the same chemical conditions. This current project aims to produce a limited number of these specialized containers to perform demonstration experiments showcasing how these microwells could be used in a wide range of applications in biological and medical research.