| NSF Org: |
TI Translational Impacts |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | December 23, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 23, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1746719 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ruth Shuman
rshuman@nsf.gov (703)292-2160 TI Translational Impacts TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $225,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $225,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
760 PARKSIDE AVE BROOKLYN NY US 11226-1784 (646)369-8010 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
29 Oxford Street Cambridge MA US 02138-2933 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | STTR Phase I |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project will be the development of sensor-embedded "smart" drinkware (i.e., stirrers, straws and cups) to actively alert consumers prior to consumption of a "spiked" beverage, and thus provide a proactive way to prevent drug-facilitated sexual assault. This sensor technology is based on "smart" molecularly imprinted color-changing nanomaterials that eliminate the need to run tedious sample preparation and analysis procedures using conventional laboratory instrument. The use of a colorimetric sensor as a cost-effective consumer sensor has far broader applications than just date rape drug detection, including applications where on-the-spot detection could help protect consumers from other harmful chemicals, pathogens, drugs, explosives, nerve agents, allergens, etc. In addition, this project will advance colorimetric sensing technology using structural color into a robust and rapid sensing platform for drug monitoring with high sensitivity, response time, and accuracy.
This STTR Phase I project proposes to develop a platform technology based on a highly accurate, color-changing sensor that will initially be used to continuously monitor a beverage for date rape drugs, and instantaneously detect these adulterants if they are present. Drug-facilitated sexual assault has become a significant issue, but there is currently no drug-sensing drinkware available on the market. This drug sensor will be implemented using highly selective molecular imprinted polymers as target drug receptors and non-toxic color-changing nanomaterials as signaling reporters. The scope of the research includes the rational design of the color-changing nanomaterial used as a signaling reporter for the target drug binding event, the development of a highly selective molecularly imprinted polymer and its integration with reporters, and the testing of the color-changing sensor under different matrices and conditions to verify its sensitivity and specificity.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
In Phase I of this of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project, DrinkSavvy Inc. developed and demonstrated colorimetric chemical sensing surfaces for the rapid detection of molecules in date rate drugs. The invention enables the company to embed the developed surface onto common drinkware products for the immediate detection of a date rape drug as soon as it is introduced into an alcoholic beverage, warning consumers and preventing the occurrence of drug-facilitated sexual assault and other criminal activities. The developed sensor design stands as a platform technology, which can be modified to detect a range of analytes and be applied across many application areas. As an example, DrinkSavvy Inc. demonstrated the ability to detect alcohol in liquids in concentrations as low as 3%.
The rational design of a colorimetric chemical sensor requires both a selective receptor and sensitive optical reporter for the binding of the target molecules and subsequent signaling to the user. Often used as a date rape drug, ketamine was the target molecule in this project. Several receptor technologies were considered and investigated, resulting in thin-film coatings which successfully and selectively bind to ketamine with high affinity. Additionally, the binding event must induce a change in both surface and optical properties, to effectively signal the binding event to an observer. Throughout the project several design considerations were explored, resulting in active structured surfaces that dramatically shift color upon binding.
Having accomplished the technical objectives of the Phase I project, DrinkSavvy will apply for a Phase II grant in order to continue developing the platform technology into a suitable commercial format for mass distribution in order to provide consumers with an effective means of detecting date rape drugs and, hopefully, eradicating drug-facilitated sexual assault and robbery. As this platform technology is not only a radical development in the field of chemical sensing, but also a game-changing technology across virtually any industry where remote, cheap, immediate and accurate detection of chemicals is needed, DrinkSavvy will continue to explore applications and opportunities in countless other markets.
Last Modified: 01/15/2019
Modified by: Min Hu
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