SBIR Phase I: Biosensor Signal Amplification by ElectroWetting On Dielectric (EWOD) Droplet Transport and Distillation

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to apply electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) microdroplet transport technology and natural evaporation effects to increase biosensor sample concentration levels via droplet distillation. EWOD technology can generate droplets from an on-chip reservoir and achieve pad-by-pad transport of droplets over an electrode array. EWOD capabilities can digitize a fluidic volume into droplets for serial transport and distillation over a sensing site and provide high-speed droplet transport to "wash" a sensor free of unhybridized markers to reduce false positives. This proposed research will apply image recognition software and conductive sensing to evaluate the buildup of fluorescent microspheres and salinity over a sensing site achieved by droplet distillation. It is anticipated that EWOD capabilities will improve commercial biosensor performance by concentrating target molecules and reducing false positives with high-speed washing. The commercial applications of this project will be in the broad field of biosensing. The product will be utilized wherever low concentration measurements and multiple sampling are needed.