Public Funding for Icappic Limited

Project Purpose: To assess the commercial viability of a novel high-throughput analytical tool for painkiller dose response testing based on navigated nanopipette technology. ICAPPIC aims to design and develop a fully functional, commercially viable prototype of automated equipment for rapid quantitative drug screening based on using a “smart” electrochemical nanopipette for localised analyte application. The ability to precisely move the nanopipette to target specific regions such as neuronal processes allows an unprecedented level of control of drug application. The speed of data acquisition positions this as a technology which may be suited to relatively high-throughput application in human neuronal preparations which would greatly facilitate drug discovery. The multibarrelled nanopipette allows rapid assessment of up to 8 factors; increasing the throughput and range of data generated. Together these attributes make this an extremely attractive technology from a drug discovery perspective. This “Smart” multibarrel nanopipette can be used in combination with other techniques such as microinjection, electrochemical measurement, and patch-clamp recording. This has the potential to open new horizons in medicine and biology and could be of particular value to the pharmaceutical industry.