Business opportunity

Scientists at the University of Oslo, SINTEF Digital (Norway) and the University of Copenhagen are developing a table-top analytical platform that is suited for automated chemical analysis of very small sample volumes, focusing on the chemical analysis of drugs and drug metabolism in organoids and organ-on-chip systems.

Inven2 AS is seeking investors or partners to establish a startup, or licensees for the IP

Technology description

The team is developing a 3-part device tailored for sampling of very small sample volumes (down to mid nL-scale). (1) Drugs and metabolites are specifically extracted using a novel microfluidic chip. These clean extracts are then transferred via simple microchannels to a chromatography column, which (2) separates the drugs and metabolites before (3) being measured. The process is fully automated, and can be programmed to be repeated e.g. every 15 minutes, ultimately resulting in plots (e.g. figures showing how drugs are metabolized over time).

Advantages

• Possibility for direct coupling to test systems, focusing on organoids and organ-on-a-chip systems.
• Automated, on-line sample preparation of small samples.
• Comprehensive sample clean-up, allowing for less reliance on complex detectors.
• Miniaturized and low solvent consumption for green analysis.

IPR

The patent application is under development.

References

F.S. Skottvoll, F.A. Hansen, S. Harrison, I.S. Boger, A. Mrsa, M.S. Restan, M. Stein, E. Lundanes, S. Pedersen-Bjergaard, A. Aizenshtadt, S. Krauss, G. Sullivan, I.L. Bogen, S.R. Wilson, Electromembrane Extraction and Mass Spectrometry for Liver Organoid Drug Metabolism Studies, Anal. Chem. 93 (2021) 3576–3585. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c05082

F.S. Skottvoll, A. Aizenshtadt, F.A. Hansen, M.A. Martinez, J.M. Andersen, I.L. Bogen, J.P. Kutter, S. Pedersen-Bjergaard, E. Lundanes, S. Krauss, S.R. Wilson, Direct Electromembrane Extraction-Based Mass Spectrometry: A Tool for Studying Drug Metabolism Properties of Liver Organoids, Anal. Sens. 2 (2022) e202100051. https://doi.org/10.1002/anse.202100051

Kogler, K.S. Kømurcu, C. Olsen, J. Shoji, F.S. Skottvoll, S. Krauss, S.R. Wilson, H. Røberg-Larsen, Organoids, organ-on-a-chip, separation science and mass spectrometry: An update, TrAC Trends Anal. Chem. 161 (2023) 116996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2023.116996