I-Corps: Translation Potential of a Hydrogel-based Resin Technology for Industrial Purifications

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of a novel resin bead purification technology designed to enhance the speed, efficiency, and affordability of industrial bioprocessing. Purification is a major bottleneck in industries such as pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals where the costs and inefficiencies of traditional separation methods significantly impact production scalability and affordability. This project aims to address these challenges by introducing an advanced resin bead material capable of selectively capturing target molecules from complex mixtures in a cost-effective and scalable manner. By improving purification efficiency, this technology has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs, increase production yields, and minimize waste generation, leading to broader societal benefits such as more accessible therapeutic products and resilient biomanufacturing processes. This effort aligns with the national interest by promoting advancements in science and technology that contribute to industrial security and economic growth. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of polymeric-based resin beads with precisely controlled physical and chemical characteristics that enable efficient purification of biological molecules. This novel technology leverages high-throughput screening that combines both physical and chemical optimization of resin bead configuration to achieve optimal purification process performance, with improved purity, yield, and speed to market for customers. This purification platform can be integrated into existing manufacturing workflows, optimizing its performance for a wide range of biological products. 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.