Small Business: Instrumentation, Environmental, and Occupational Safety – MCST (12)

Topics

• Photonic, electronic, and chemical technologies for bioinstrumentation and portable point-of-care devices
• Optical, spectroscopic, and microscopic devices for identifying biomolecular and cellular structures
• Instrumentation and devices for occupational safety applications
• Chemical, physical, and biological assays or instrumentation for environmental monitoring and remediation

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests with Bioanalytical Chemistry, Chemistry, Biophysics, and Assay Development (MCST (10)). Applications more focused on the assay chemistry may be assigned to MCST (10), whereas applications with a significant engineering component, including point-of-care devices, may be assigned to MCST (12).

There are shared interests with Cell and Molecular Biology (MCST (15)). Applications developing technologies with a dominant cell biology component may be assigned to MCST (15), whereas applications with a significant engineering component may be assigned to MCST (12) developing assays or technologies that are not cell-based may be assigned to MCST (10).  

There are shared interests in instrumentation and systems development with Biomedical Sensing, Measurement and Instrumentation (ISB (11)). Applications that are focused on devices and systems primarily targeted to healthcare and clinical use are typically assigned to ISB (11). Applications that focus on instrumentation and systems for molecular imaging, biomedical research and early stage development of portable point of care devices may be assigned to MCST (12).

There are shared interests with Microbial Diagnostics, Detection and Decontamination (DCAI (13))  in the areas of device development and environmental monitoring. Applications that focus on microbial diagnostics or environmental microbial monitoring may be reviewed DCAI (13) whereas fundamental device development or assays/instrumentation for other types of environmental monitoring may be assigned to MCST (12).

There are shared interests between the small business panels in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences and Technologies Review Branch (MCST 10, 12, 14, and 15) and Small Business: Clinical Care and Health Interventions (CCHI 10) in the development of devices and technologies. Applications are reviewed in MCST if they are related to disease-agnostic diagnostic technologies (MCST-10) classification systems (MCST-14), sensors and imaging devices (MCST-12) and genomics technologies (MCST-15). Applications are reviewed in CCHI 10 if they involve the use of biomedical engineering to influence health risks and behaviors.