Madison, Wis.-based Platypus Technologies LLC has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $600,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of Bethesda, Md. The grant will be used to develop hepatitis-screening assays based on the company’s liquid crystal-based technology for rapid detection of molecular interactions, which will simultaneously detect multiple proteins from a single sample.The company also has been awarded an SBIR grant for $600,000 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of Research Triangle Park, N.C., to develop a sensor for simultaneous detection of multiple air pollutants, which will utilize its liquid crystal-based technology. The company will collaborate with the Boeing Co. of Chicago for the project.