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Biosensors
Innovative solution for printed biosensors that will provide highest performance and unparalleled size reduction, one that can be fabricated by inexpensive & scalable methods.
Biosensors show great potential in terms of medical diagnostics. Their growing popularity comes from the simplicity of operation (same very small chip has multiple functions integrated) joined with strong sensitivity and versatility (various analysis in real time). Electrochemical biosensors show great promise for point-of-care applications due to their low cost, portability and compatibility with microfluidics.
Current fabrication methods for such sensors are: lithography followed by metal deposition using sputtering or chemical vapor deposition. This techniques usually require the cleanroom and expensive masking. Cheaper printing techniques such as screen-printing and ink-jet printing enable low cost, easy fabrication and elimination of the mask, but those methods have other limitations. Inkjet printing presents minimum resolution of about 100 µm compared to 200 µm for screen printing. Biosensors sector is faced with the constant pursue of miniaturization as there is a huge need for solutions that will provide lab-on-chip-analysis. This creates requirement for obtaining structures even smaller than 10 µm – not achievable both for inkjet or screen printing. This fast growing industry must then meet several challenges and deliver solution providing highest performance, both in terms of precise targeting of selected analyte & in terms of unparalleled size reduction, a solution that can at the same time be fabricated by inexpensive & scalable methods. Big picture and ultimate goal is to provide point-of-care versatile testing to the remote areas worldwide, particularly the developing countries.
PROBLEM
- expensive and not scalable production
- inefficient functionalization for targeting selected analyte
- complicated & insufficient detection
- no optimal versatile solution for instant, easy achieved & reliable result
SOLUTION & VALUE PROPOSITION
PROOF OF CONCEPT
DETECTION SYSTEM FOR PROTEINS
DETECTION SYSTEM FOR VIRUSES
- XTPL printed lines can be used as an interface for efficient sensing of pathogens and pollutants (proved for protein and viruses)
- XTPL interface is universe and sensitive
- XTPL interface can be made from all metallic nanoparticles and on every substrate
- Conjugated XTPL printed lines can be detected by optical and electrical method
Two types of tests were carried out: tests showing the change of resistance at each conjugation stage, which proves the possibility of electrical detection and fluorescence tests at each stage of the conjugation process, during which strong fluorescence enhancement was observed, which proves the possibility of using optical detection as well.