Public Funding for Grove Nanomaterials Limited

The use of gold nanoparticles to create the red lines in a home Covid test is one of the great triumphs of nanotechnology. We all know the colour of gold, but nano-gold is red, soluble in water and one can bind it to molecules which detect a particular disease; thus the gold nanoparticles visualise the presence of an infectious agent. Grove Nanomaterials Ltd has developed, tested, and validated to proof-of-concept stage, a novel technology (CoVap) for producing functionalised gold nanoparticles directly from metal sources, and in a sustainable way that avoids toxic chemicals. Their incorporation into 'Lateral Flow Tests' (LFTs) will enable the detection not only of infections like Covid or Flu but also potential allergens such as gluten or lactose in food testing or conditions such as pregnancy. This project will scale-up Grove's manufacturing capability to produce gold nanoparticles with diverse chemical conjugations, that are rapidly tuneable to meet customer needs for diagnostic devices to address future medical or health threats. Working closely with device developers and OEMs, our agile and responsive manufacturing approach uses a novel 'in-vacuo synthesis' process, meaning that Grove can rapidly supply batch quantities at low cost to customers and/or end-users. Moreover, the product will be available in various formats, either "dry" as a stable nanocomposite of nanoparticles within a relevant organic/polymeric matrix, or dispersed into a stable, colloidal solution), and in a variety of sizes and colours to meet specific diagnostic requirements (e.g. Covid, Flu, Gluten or Pregnancy) With proof-of-concept already established, and the diagnostic devices market targeted (particular Lateral Flow Tests, LFTs) as major user of gold nanoparticles, this project will scale-up Grove's manufacturing capability and product range through further and essential R&D, whilst ensuring compliance with customer needs. Key activities in this project include: * R&D: Advancing our technology to TRL8/9 through refinement of process control, extending the range of proven functionalisation's, and material characterisation * Validation of our nanoparticles within LFT applications, through testing with three industry partners. 'Abbott Laboratories -- Lateral Flow Tests for Covid; 'Abingdon Health' -- Flu and Pregnancy Tests; 'Bio-Check' -- Food allergen tests * Exploitation planning, cost/performance modelling and further IP protection * Explore Grove's recent discoveries of 'navy blue' and 'fluorescent' gold nanoparticles for their use in dual-diagnostic devices (i.e. to detect 2 different diseases using a single LFT) To deliver this technology into the rapidly expanding nanoparticulate materials market, Grove has secured ~ £250k of external leveraged funding