PFI (MCA): Rapid Ultrasensitive Biomarker Detection Chip for Early Lung Cancer Diagnosis

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Mid-Career Advancement (PFI (MCA)) project is in the diagnosis of early stage cancers. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancerous death, resulting in numerous lives lost every day due to the challenges in its early stage diagnosis and a five-year survival rate of only ~18%. To address these challenges, the project seeks to develop a robust and portable cancer biomarker detection platform for early stage cancer detection. This research may improve the intervention and prognosis for lung cancer patients and impact the diagnosis of various diseases at early stages. The project will also foster a training ground for the next generation innovators and entrepreneurs by providing the knowledge and training in entrepreneurship, technological transfer, and commercialization to students. This project could expand the biotechnology industry and cement US global leadership in cancer research.This project seeks to prototype an innovative on-chip sensing platform to overcome challenges in biosensing, i.e., the difficulty in detecting biomolecules with both high speed and ultrasensitivity in aqueous samples. Progress in nanotechnologies has advanced nanosensors with single-molecule sensitivity. Nevertheless, the nanoscale features that endow ultrahigh sensitivity in biodetection inevitably result in a long detection times due to the low probabilities of capturing biomolecules on their small sensing surfaces. This challenge has hindered the real world nanosensing applications, such as in early stage diagnosis and intervention of cancers. If diagnosed early, the survival rate of lung cancer patients can be significantly improved. Here, the team will leverage a recently discovered detection mechanism, whereby biomolecules aggregate only at the point of laser illuminated optoelectric nanostructures, overcoming the aforementioned biosensing barriers. The project includes the design, fabrication, and prototyping of an integrated on-chip platform. AIf successful, this project may improve the detection limit of cancerous biomarkers by several orders of magnitude.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.