I-Corps: Vivid Microscopy LLC: Imaging Thiols to Understand Oxidative Stress

Concordia University Wisconsin, Inc., Mequon WI

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project will help disease researchers better understand how oxidative stress impacts a variety of disease states. Specifically, our products will show how illnesses such as cancer and Alzehimer's progress over time and, most importantly, how to more effectively treat these conditions. Preliminary research indicates one of our proposed products can differentiate the effectiveness of a proposed Alzheimer's drug, conduct protein studies that image dithiols and quantify oxidative stress through a determination of glutathione. This I-Corps project is focused on ascertaining the marketability of these products within the biotech research market, ascertaining market size and gaining a thorough understanding of the competitive landscape of the oxidative stress market. Through this understanding, we will insure that our products fill a market need and, if necessary, can pivot to better tailor our products to customer need. As this project offers the opportunity to improve oxidative stress research and could also be used to differentiate disease states, the company's potential products offer significant commercial and societal impact. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.