Ultrasensitive marker-free biomolecular THz-detection for tumor related analytics: PCR-free sensitivity, biomolecular extension and biological relevance

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Genomics and proteomics hold promise to revolutionize future health care, targeting profound novel visions like predictive medicine, preventive medicine and personalized medicine. The enormous advance in these fields is closely coupled to the development of powerful, reliable, and efficient methods to detect, identify and analyse biomolecules and their complex interaction networks. In the last decades techniques have continuously improved, providing a plethora of information for biomolecular function. However, as we are at the stage of moving from “observing” dependencies, towards “understanding” mechanisms in their full interaction network, it is becoming increasingly apparent that new analytic tools with enhanced capabilities, providing information at various biomolecular interaction levels still need to be developed.THz technologies have demonstrated a huge potential to investigate and detect biomolecular systems, as macromolecular modes and biomolecular interactions are resonant in this frequency range, paving the path to label-free bioanalytic sensing. The goal of this project is the development of competitive principles for the label–free biomolecular sensing with electromagnetic radiation (EM) in the THz frequency range. The project follows upon the successful demonstration of PCR-free DNA sensing capabilities in frequency selective surfaces. We propose to study its potential for ultrasensitive marker-free biomolecular THz-detection for tumor related analytics. After showing world-record PCR-free sensitivities in the first project phase, the activities now concentrate on: extending the applicability to other biomolecular systems and on the demonstration of the fundamental biological relevance of the THz analysis. Reproducibility in protein sensing and sensor functionalization will be addressed by implementing a new activity related to microfluidic integration in this second project phase.In order to focus this research activity and validate the application relevance of these developments, all analysis will concentrate on tumor-related biomolecular sensing applications. Due to emerging new therapies, analyses of biomarker become even more important today. Further, complete understanding of the complex processes in tumor development and progression is tremendously important. In this project, it is therefore planned to concentrate on a detailed comparison of THz biochip results with well-known validated previous results and with state-of-the-art biomolecular investigation methods.