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National Science Foundation Award #0352443

Reagentless pH-stat for Microliter Biological Samples

 
Investigator(s): Miklos Gratzl (PI)
Sponsor: Case Western Reserve University, OH 44106 2163684510
Start Date/Expiration Date 2004-08-01 to 2006-07-31 (amended 2005-07-08)
Awarded Amount to Date: $327,367
Abstract: This award supports the development of a pH-stat instrument that does not require any liquid reagents to operate. This instrument will operate using low level electrical currents injected into tiny sample droplets via a suitable miniature electrode to produce hydrogen or hydroxyl ions needed to keep pH constant. This concept has the potential to enable fine chemical manipulations of specimens as small as a fraction of a rain drop, without reagents, easily controlled from a laptop computer. The injected current can be directly translated into the amount of acid or base added using Faraday's law. This may render the scheme calibration free. No dependence of the delivery mechanism on temperature is expected. The required instrumentation is simple, small, and portable. For all these reasons the main idea of this project is a new concept in experimental biology.
NSF Org: DBI - Division of Biological Infrastructure
Award Number: 0352443
Award Instrument: Continuing grant
Program Manager: Gerald Selzer
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure
BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences
NSF Program(s): INSTRUMENTAT & INSTRUMENT DEVP
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s): BIOTECHNOLOGY - INFRASTRUCTURE, 9184
Program Element Code(s): 1108