FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of the University of Notre Dame’s hypersensitive molecule sensing technology. Gold nanoparticles with functionalized nucleic acid probes attach to the target nucleic acid and are assembled by an electric field at a nanopipette to produce plasmonic hotspots. The spacing between the nanoparticles can be adjusted by tuning the electric field, resulting in high signal enhancement. With a low-cost CCD camera, plasmonically enhanced intensity is so high that 1 fM or 100 copies can be detected.

This technology is applicable to disease diagnostics, pathogen detection, and academic/ laboratory research. The pathogen detection market was worth $4.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to increase to $9.07 billion by 2030.

The University of Notre Dame’s hypersensitive molecule sensing technology is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the University of Notre Dame team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.