This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a novel high-resolution instrument (Precision Optical Intra-cellular Near-field Technology, POINT) for analyzing molecular characteristics of intact cells is proposed. The technique is based on a nanoprobe that penetrates the cell membrane to image the inside of the cell without destroying it.
The commercial application of this project will be in the area of medical diagnostics, for early detection of cancer.
