Integrated Nanowire Array Sensors for Biomolecular Detection

本研究的目的是开发和集成纳米线传感器系统的构建块，在设计、制造和功能化方面进行良好的协调和跨学科的努力，以形成用于目标生物分子的无标记电检测的纳米线传感器阵列。这种方法是利用顶层硅纳米制造形成纳米线，并使用一种新颖的热中介交换反应作为连接方案，在不同的传感器位置上实现捕获双分子的特定位置功能化。该提案的重点是检测microRNAs(MiRNA)，它通常长21-23nT，存在于细胞中。最近发现这些分子是关键的细胞成分，其表达水平与疾病状态相关。智力上的优点：检测miRNA序列本身就具有重大的科学和商业意义。此外，拟议的工作将开发一个框架，通过该框架，可能在不同实验室开发的单个传感器组件可以有效地集成到传感器阵列中。此外，项目中开发的设计平台、制造技术、功能化方案和集成方法具有许多共性特征，不仅可以很容易地适应其他纳米生物系统，而且还可以适用于纳米电子学、DNA计算、纳米机械和纳米复合材料。更广泛的影响：最后，这种综合设计方法将涉及非传统的跨学科互动，对研究生和本科生教育、研究和工程实践具有重要影响。我们将开发一门高级/研究生水平的课程，名为：生物纳米技术导论。它将被教授给来自多个系的学生。我们与NCN合作的计划包括研究生和本科生部分，以及与研究社区和公众的接触。

The objective of this research is to develop and integrate the building blocks of a nanowire sensor system using a well-coordinated and interdisciplinary effort in design, fabrication and functionalization to form a nanowire sensor array for the label free electrical detection of target biomolecules. The approach is to use top town silicon nano-fabrication to form the nanowires and use a novel thermally mediate exchange reaction as attachment scheme for site specific functionalization of capture bimolecular at different sensor sites. The proposal focuses on the detection of microRNAs (miRNA), which are usually 21-23 nt in length and occur in abundance in cells. These molecules have recently been found to be critical cellular components whose levels of expression correlate with disease states.Intellectual Merit: The detection of miRNA sequences in itself has significant scientific and commercial implications. In addition, the proposed work will develop the framework by which individual sensor components, perhaps developed in different laboratories, may be efficiently integrated into sensor arrays. Also, the design platform, fabrication techniques, functionalization schemes, and integration approaches developed in the project have many generic features that can easily be adapted not only to other nano-bio systems, but also to nano-electronics, DNA-computing, nano-mechanics and nano-composites. Broader Impact: Finally, this integrated design approach will involve non-traditional interdisciplinary interactions, with important implications for graduate and undergraduate education, research, and the practice of engineering. We will develop a senior/graduate level course entitled: Introduction to Bio-Nanotechnology. It will be taught to students from many departments. Our program in collaboration with NCN has graduate and undergraduate components as well as outreach to the research community and the public.