7/18/2011 – Fayetteville, Arkansas - SFC Fluidics^® has been awarded a grant of $165,000 from the National Institutes of Health for development of a portable, self-contained instrument that will advance the understanding of changes in brain chemistry after injury. The instrument will be used to improve treatment strategies and minimize the long-term impact of severe brain injury. The device will be used to continuously monitor changes in the concentration of brain injury biomarkers in the fluid surrounding the brain. Such continuous, long-term monitoring will allow a physician to take prompt action when changes to brain chemistry are detected. Upon successful adaptation, the device resulting from this grant will greatly simplify the current clinical practice while achieving higher therapeutic success in treating head injury patients.

Dr. Champak Das, Senior Engineer and Principle Investigator on the project, says, “I am very pleased that this project has been funded. Changes in brain chemistry following injury are complex and can vary greatly between patients. The development of this device will allow for detailed monitoring of these changes and will enable significant improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of severe brain injury.”

Continuing SFC Fluidics’ commitment to develop improved tools for brain injury diagnosis, this new grant will complement the company’s existing contract from the Department of Defense for the development of a handheld diagnostic device to detect mild and moderate brain injury.

Founded in 2003, SFC Fluidics^® is a privately held company located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The company’s unique product lines span a diverse range of markets including point-of-care diagnostics, analytical instrumentation and laboratory liquid handling. A driving trend in biomedical and analytical instrumentation is toward higher performance, lower operating cost, and improved portability. The company’s products are based on innovative technologies that improve speed, performance and affordability. Its mission is to expand scientific knowledge, advance health care, and improve overall quality of life through enabling microfluidics technologies.

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