Portable BioMEMS sensor system for impaired driving detection

与使用大麻有关的挥发性有机化合物(VOC)和非VOC在吸入后的最初几个小时内出现在呼气中。传统上，这些生物标志物的存在是使用传统的气相色谱-质谱仪(GC-MS)系统来检测的。GC-MS还可以在单位体积内测量这些生物标志物的浓度水平，准确度很高。然而，这些系统往往体积庞大且高度专业化。因此，本项目研究了一种微型传感器的开发，以检测呼气中与大麻使用相关的靶向生物标志物。先进的微机械传感器系统因其集成到便携式电子设备、设备小型化、低功耗、低成本和高制造效率等方面的潜力而成为实用、非侵入性和灵敏的诊断工具。它们利用先进的微制造技术，将微加工和集成的显著优势转移到医学和环境监测领域。在这项工作中，将设计和制造一个微机械传感器原型，它可以在生理相关水平上实时检测所需的生物标志物。这项技术提供了集成的潜力，因此可以解决该公司目前在整合微型系统方面的挑战和需求。**

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and non-VOC associated with the Cannabis use are present in the exhaled breath within the first few hours of inhalation. Traditionally, the presence of these biomarkers is detected using the conventional Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) system. GC-MS can also measure concentration level of these biomarkers in a unit volume with high accuracy. However, these systems are often bulky and highly specialized. Therefore, this project investigates the development of a miniaturized sensor to detect the targeted biomarkers associated with Cannabis use in the exhaled breath. Advanced micromachined sensor systems are emerging as practical, non-invasive and sensitive diagnostic tools due to their potential for integration into portable electronics, device miniaturization, low power consumption, low cost and high fabrication yield. They leverage advanced microfabrication techniques that transfer significant benefits of micromachining and integration to the fields of medicine and environmental monitoring. In this work, a micromachined sensor prototype will be designed and fabricated that can provide a real-time detection of desired biomarkers at the physiologically relevant level. This technology provides potentials for integration and therefore, can address the company's current challenges and needs of incorporating a miniaturized system.**