By Jeff Kelley and Tony Russo

As DNA research enters a critical stage in next-generation sequencing, better methods are needed to visualize and study molecules.

Evizia, a company founded and based on technology developed by Jason Reed, Ph.D., a physics professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Humanities and Sciences, has landed a $2.2 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

The “Direct to Phase II” Small Business Innovation Research grant will help Evizia optimize the manufacturing of its advanced microscope system that can benefit researchers with its novel method to visualize and study DNA molecules. Reed says the platform increases the quality of next-generation DNA sequencing and will support the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics.

DNA sequencing determines the order of the chemical building blocks that comprise a DNA strand, and is key to understanding the instructions of how organisms develop, function and reproduce — like following the words in a book to understand the story.

Traditional molecular sizing techniques, such as electrophoresis and dye-based fluorescence, rely upon indirect imaging. Such methods can miss critical data and lead to quality control issues.

“The current techniques really don't work at all with molecules beyond a certain size,” Reed said. “Our technology provides direct, high-resolution feedback on sample quality before sequencing ever begins, which can offer better data, less waste and fewer expensive mistakes. Our device is built to address that shortfall.”

Taking quality-control cue from semiconductor industry

Reed’s instrument uses high-speed atomic force microscopy, a technology initially used in semiconductor manufacturing quality control. Evizia's platform, called PRECYSE, uses a probe measuring only a few nanometers to rapidly scan samples and create a three-dimensional topographical map of biomolecules. The system analyzes this map using machine learning software to obtain precise sizing. 

The technology underlying PRECYSE was developed at VCU and licensed through VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, a division of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.

“Evizia has a promising technology in this instrument because it does something researchers always want to do, which is to measure molecules at a much faster rate with greater accuracy,” said Magdalena Morgan, Ph.D., VCU’s director of licensing. “Not only does it advance research, but Jason and his team are also capturing important data that was missing or incomplete using older techniques.”

PRECYSE is designed “with practicality in mind to support wide adoption across bio-labs,” Reed said. The instrument is compact and has a built-in stability system that allows it to hold up against vibrations and movements in standard laboratory environments. Additionally, sample preparation for PRECYSE eliminates complicated steps and toxic consumables, reducing complexity and cost.

Up next: testing and new uses

The technology has already been tested at major research centers including VCU, the University of Virginia, Harvard and Yale universities, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The Jackson Laboratory.

“Most of these labs are forced to use three or four different kinds of quality control processes to kind of triangulate on what they have,” Reed said. Using Evizia’s platform reduces these extra processes while improving overall quality control, he said.

Evizia also has longer-term plans for PRECYSE. “The most useful areas include genetic analysis, such as mutation detection,” Reed said. “There are research and medical applications, like finding mutated inherited disease genes or structural rearrangements and cancer.”

Looking ahead, Reed and TechTransfer’s Morgan said Evizia aims to partner with early access users, lower production costs and seek investment capital to scale the company. In addition to the SBIR grant, Evizia was awarded a Virginia Catalyst grant with collaborators at UVA. and VCU in 2024. The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. assisted with a series of contributions over several years, including commercial feasibility research grants, grant application support and direct investment. 

“In a field saturated with indirect imaging methods,” Reed said, “we want to eliminate known blind spots and help scientists truly see and understand what is present in their samples.”