Flexible Biochip for Highly Parallel Microbial Detection

描述（由申请人提供）：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。它将作为一种基因筛选，用于多达10,000种独特微生物或基因靶点的平行检测，鉴定和定量，并可在不久的将来扩展到包括多达30,000个靶点。多年来，人们已经认识到在诊断、空气、水、食品、动物和植物安全以及生物过程监测等许多领域都需要这种全面和广泛的筛选工具。然而，它的发展受到快速和经济地合成和测试数千种可能的探针的能力的阻碍。由于密歇根大学和Xeotron发明了一种高度灵活和低成本的原位寡核苷酸生物芯片合成平台，这个问题现在得到了解决。它可以在一夜之间生产出生物芯片，而不需要花费一大笔钱。它是高度灵活的方面，探头内容是由软件控制。它采用传统的DNA合成化学修饰来响应光，并将数千个微流控反应器阵列蚀刻在硅表面。

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.