EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nanomix Inc., a leading nanotechnology company which is commercializing a line of nanoelectronic sensors for industrial and biomedical applications, today announced that it has been awarded a $500,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award will be used to continue Nanomix's development of a medical capnography sensor. Capnography is the measurement of carbon dioxide concentration in human respiration and is a standard of care during administration of anesthesia in the operating room.

During Phase I of the NSF SBIR project, Nanomix demonstrated a working prototype of a carbon dioxide sensor, which uses carbon nanotubes as the active sensing element. The tiny, low-power sensor will be the first disposable electronic capnography sensor and has the potential to extend the reach of quantitative respiratory monitoring beyond the operating room and into emergency settings as well as doctor's offices.

"The National Science Foundation's support of this innovative medical technology will help move it through clinical testing and ultimately deliver the sensor into the hands of anesthesiologists. As a result, these physicians will be equipped to significantly improve monitoring of patients, especially in ambulatory and emergency settings," said Dr. Alexander Star, the Principal Investigator on the NSF sponsored project. "The sensor embodies the critical advantages that nanotechnology brings to electronic applications: high performance and low cost in a tiny package."

Nanomix is collaborating with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical School on the design and testing of the sensor. UCSF is widely considered a center of excellence in anesthesiology and its faculty members have been leaders in the development and testing of respiratory technology since the 1960's.

"We are very pleased by the National Science Foundation's commitment to this truly ground-breaking application of nanotechnology," said Nanomix's President and CEO, David Macdonald. "Our continued work with first-class collaborators such as NSF and UCSF promises to deliver breakthroughs that fundamentally change the manner in which medicine is practiced."

About Nanomix

Nanomix, based in Emeryville, California, was founded in September 2000 to develop and commercialize breakthroughs in sensing, by pioneering the integration of carbon nanotube transistors with silicon chips. The company's team of scientists and engineers are currently developing the first generation of commercial nanoelectronic sensors for industrial and medical applications. For more information, please visit www.nano.com.

Source: Nanomix Inc.

CONTACT: Melita Wenger, +1-415-782-4042, or mwenger@altapartners.com,
for Nanomix Inc.

Web site: http://www.nano.com/