Multi-analyte Disease Diagnosis using MEMS Detection

使用 MEMS 检测进行多分析物疾病诊断

• 批准号: ST/I003304/1
• 负责人: Stephen Elliott
• 金额: $ 32.47万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2011 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FI003304%2F1
• 关键词: Multi; analyte; Disease; Diagnosis; using

The project will develop a prototype, portable medical-diagnostic platform for the simultaneous detection of multiple disease or health indicators, based on nano-mechanical cantilever sensor arrays using a parallel optical readout. This will provide health professionals with the capability to have a significant impact in early-intervention, time-critical treatment (e.g. in emergency departments, by paramedics), with a big impact in resource-poor environments (e.g. developing countries). Cantilever-sensor platforms have already been demonstrated in the wider field for the diagnosis and monitoring of complex diseases, such as cancer, and more recently as a platform for studying antibiotic drug resistance of infectious disease. These sensors have not been universally adopted so far because of severe difficulties in performing a parallel readout of large sensor arrays, limitations in the fabrication of high-volume, low-cost cantilever sensors, and difficulties in the coating of individual sensors in arrays with specific biomarker-binding receptor layers. Our consortium has technical solutions for all these three bottlenecks that will allow for the full potential of this diagnostic technology to be realised for the first time. Central to this realisation is the development of customised sensors based on previous STFC-funded work on low-cost polymer-based microcantilever reflector arrays for space applications. Through highly specific coating of individual cantilevers with receptor layers, a target biomarker can be detected in very low sample volume (microlitres) with very high sensitivity due to the induced bending of the flexible polymer cantilever sensors upon attachment of the biomarker to the receptor layers. Cambridge have recently developed an optical method, based on interferometry, for reading out nanometre displacements of an arbitrary number of cantilevers simultaneously and in real time, without the need for precise optical alignment. These technologies can be merged to form a hand-held diagnostic device with robust, highly sensitive sensors and a read-out technique that is simple to operate, has low-cost electronic and optical components, and is highly flexible in its sensing response to any number of analytes.

该项目将开发一个原型，便携式医疗诊断平台，用于同时检测多个疾病或健康指标，基于使用并行光学读数的纳米机械悬臂传感器阵列。这将使卫生专业人员能够在早期干预、时间紧迫的治疗中产生重大影响(例如在急诊科、由护理人员进行)，并在资源匮乏的环境中产生重大影响(例如发展中国家)。悬臂式传感器平台已经在更广泛的领域被用于诊断和监测复杂疾病，如癌症，最近还被证明是研究传染病抗生素耐药性的平台。到目前为止，这些传感器还没有被普遍采用，这是因为在执行大型传感器阵列的并行读出方面存在严重困难，在制造大容量、低成本的悬臂梁传感器方面存在限制，以及在具有特定生物标记物结合受体层的阵列中涂覆单个传感器存在困难。我们的财团为所有这三个瓶颈提供了技术解决方案，将使这项诊断技术的全部潜力第一次得到实现。这一认识的核心是基于STFC以前资助的用于空间应用的低成本聚合物微悬臂反射器阵列的工作开发定制传感器。通过在单个悬臂梁上涂覆受体层，可以在非常低的样本量(微升)中以非常高的灵敏度检测到目标生物标记物，这是因为柔性聚合物悬臂梁传感器在将生物标记物附着到受体层上时会发生弯曲。剑桥大学最近开发了一种基于干涉测量的光学方法，用于同时实时读出任意数量的悬臂梁的纳米级位移，而不需要精确的光学对准。这些技术可以合并形成一种手持诊断设备，具有坚固、高灵敏度的传感器和一种读出技术，该技术操作简单，具有低成本的电子和光学组件，并且对任何数量的分析物具有高度灵活的传感响应。