PFI-BIC: Partnership for Nanomembranes in Microscale Biodevices

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This Partnerships for Innovation project from the University of Rochester will focus on the application of a breakthrough membrane technology called porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) to microscale preparative and analytical systems. In the first phase, the team will work to include the pnc-Si membranes in an existing device for portable pathogen detection. In this device the membranes will be used as a microfilter preventing aggregates from reaching detectors where they can cause false positive signals. In the second phase, the team will use the pnc-Si platform to miniaturize each step in the Integrated Nanotechnologies (INT) process to perform all reaction and detection steps on a single lab-on-a-chip device.The broader impacts of this research are many. The project is expected to decrease the time-to-market for the INT device, addressing a long-standing need of the U.S. military for remote pathogen detection from small blood samples. The miniaturized device is expected to significantly reduce costs of this device and expand its penetration into nondefense markets. More broadly, the knowledge enhancement partners (KEP) will focus on the use of pnc-Si as a platform technology for pumping and separation in lab-on-a-chip devices. This is expected to have an impact on diverse industries, from biotechnology to the food industry, where lab-on-a-chip solutions are sought to reduce the cost of complex processes. Increased demand for products from the KEP's industrial partners is expected to spur economic growth in the Rochester area. The project will also involve students in the University of Rochester's new Technical Entrepreneurship and Management program who will develop business plans, conduct market research, and perform risk assessment. The project will employ underrepresented minorities through the University of Rochester's McNair program.Partners at the inception of the project are Academic: the lead academic institution, the University of Rochester (Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Simon School of Business; Center for Entrepreneurship) and an academic partner, Rochester Institute of Technology (Departments of Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering); and Small businesses: SiMPore Inc. (West Henrietta, NY), and Integrated Nanotechnologies (Henrietta, NY). SiMPore is the exclusive manufacturer of pnc-Si, an ultrathin nanoporous membrane developed at UR. The devices developed will be based on INT's proprietary process for fully automated, portable pathogen detection. Both small companies are based in the greater Rochester area. RIT faculty will provide the KEP with expertise in miniaturization, electrokinetic flows and LOC devices.