Flexible Biochip for Highly Parallel Microbial Detection

描述(申请人提供)：我们建议开发一种用于并行检测数千种微生物的生物芯片。它将作为一个遗传屏幕，并行检测、鉴定和量化多达10,000个独特的微生物或基因靶标，并可在不久的将来扩展到包括多达30,000个靶标。多年来，在许多领域，包括诊断、空气、水、食品、动物和植物安全以及生物过程监测，已经认识到对这种全面和广泛的筛查工具的需求。然而，由于无法快速、经济地合成和测试数千种可能的探针，它的发展受到了阻碍。这个问题现在得到了解决，因为密歇根大学和Xeotron发明了一种高度灵活、低成本的原位寡核苷酸生物芯片合成平台。它可以在一夜之间生产生物芯片，而不需要花费一大笔钱。它在软件控制的探测内容方面具有很高的灵活性。它使用传统的DNA合成化学修饰以响应光，并在硅表面蚀刻数千个微流控反应器阵列。 该方案结合了密歇根州立大学微生物生态学中心(CME)在生物信息学、系统发生学、环境工程和混合微生物系统数据解释方面的专业知识，以及上述灵活的生物芯片制造技术。生物芯片的探针将由CME的研究人员设计和验证，CME在开发跟踪和识别复杂微生物系统中的微生物的新方法方面处于世界领先地位。生物芯片的合成将由UM和Xeotron进行。Xeotron目前拥有900万美元的第一阶段风险投资，并已做好充分准备，以生产在该平台上开发的任何芯片。能够一起检测给定基质中的所有感兴趣的微生物，将大大改善与微生物有关的健康问题的管理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a biochip for parallel detection of thousands of microorganisms. It will serve as a genetic screen for the parallel detection, identification, and quantification of up to 10,000 unique microorganisms or gene targets and can be extended to include up to 30,000 targets in the near future. The need for such a comprehensive and broad-range screening tool has been recognized for years in many areas including diagnostics, air, water, food, animal, and plant safety, and bioprocess monitoring. However, its development was hampered by the ability to synthesize and test thousands of possible probes rapidly and economically. This problem is solved now because of the invention of a highly flexible and low-cost in-situ oligonucleotide biochip synthesis platform by the University of Michigan and Xeotron. It can produce biochips overnight without costing a fortune. It is highly flexible with respect to probe content which is software controlled. It uses traditional DNA synthesis chemistry modified to respond to light and thousands of microfluidic reactor array etched on silicon surface. This proposal combines the expertise in bioinformatics, phylogenetics, environmental engineering, and data interpretation for mixed microbial systems available at the Center for Microbial Ecology (CME) at Michigan State University (MSU) with the flexible biochip fabrication technology described above. Probes for the biochip will be designed and validated by researchers at CME, which is a world leader in developing new methodologies to track and identify microbes in complex microbial systems. Synthesis of the biochip will be carried out by UM and Xeotron. Xeotron currently has a $9M phase one venture capital and is fully geared to produce any chip developed on this platform. Ability to detect all microorganisms of interest in a given matrix together will significantly improve the management of health concerns related to microorganisms.