Development of cost-effective label-free protein biosensors using magnetic bio-inks

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Canada's increasing aging population is confronted by a lack of timely diagnosis for various autoimmunediseases with turnaround times varying from a few days to weeks, leading to rising healthcare costs withunfavorable economic and societal implications. Traditional methods for disease detection rely on a single testat a time. Our industry partner, SQI Diagnostics (SQID) develops automated multiplexed assays capable ofperforming multiple tests at the same time. Such systems are ideal for high volume high throughput testingfacilities, but these are yet uneconomical for local testing facilities or point of care/testing devices. We recentlydemonstrated the working principle of a novel cost-effective, reliable and sensitive chemiresistive biosensorthat is capable of rapidly detecting biomarkers within a minute. We propose to develop a multiplexedbiosensing platform based on magnetic bio-inks that could be used in hospitals, reference labs and other similarhealthcare institutions. This will be achieved by (1) developing magnetic bio-inks, (2) evaluating theperformance biosensors printed with these inks, (3) comparing their performance with standard tests, and (4)developing multiplexing capabilities for the biosensor. We will follow this by scaling up the printing ofdiagnostic sensing strips and integrating them into devices that can be used to develop marketable products.SQID will license and commercialize the technology, translating the research into a point of care/testingdevices. The outcome of the proposed work promises significant commercial benefits to Canada through thecreation of ~30 jobs and improved global presence in the healthcare industry. The project will also advancescientific understanding of chemiresistive biosensors.