Portable diagnostic biosensors close in on market reality
June 5, 2008
According to an announcement earlier this week, BIOIDENT Technologies will work with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) on a project to demonstrate the capabilities of biosensors with printed optoelectronics by developing a portable multi-parameter detector in the form of a lab-on-a-chip system. The system will combine microfluidics-sensor arrays with BIOIDENT's printed optoelectronic sensor technology.
In order to commercialize the next generation of portable diagnostic systems, says BIOIDENT, size and cost need to be reduced by eliminating the expensive and bulky optical readout equipment currently used in today's systems.
The goal of the project is a proof-of-concept that printed sensors developed with BIOIDENT's technology can enable the development of cost-effective and truly mobile lab-on-a-chip systems. For this purpose, NRL's biosensor system design will be modified in two major ways:
The fluorescence assays used by NRL will be replaced with chemiluminescence assays. This eliminates the need for expensive laser excitation components.
The bulky readout unit (CCD camera and lens system) will be replaced with organic photodiodes, printed directly beneath the receptor antibodies in the microarray.
BIOIDENT's technology is based on printed organic semiconductor materials. The integration of the readout system directly onto the chip enables a minimal sample-sensor distance, providing signal detection with very high sensitivity.
Max Sonnleitner, BIOIDENT CTO, says, "Our printed optoelectronic technology makes it possible for the first time to integrate the functionality of expensive lasers and CCD cameras directly into the lab-on-a-chip system, and so to develop truly mobile, easy-to-use test equipment for the point of use."
"Our array biosensor offers the functionality of a laboratory and yet is integrated into a box weighing less than 6 kg,” says Frances Ligler, NRL project leader. “However, because we are aiming for an even more compact form, we need an alternative to the bulky optical components such as lasers and CCD cameras. The promising printed optoelectronics approach from BIOIDENT is very attractive to us, and we look forward to an exciting partnership."
