Electrically biased terahertz chemical microscope (Market Assessment)

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The current proposal aims to perform a market assessment of a new technique developed at the INRS, theElectrically Biased Terahertz Chemical Microscope (EB-TCM), which aims to improve the sensitivity andselectivity of charged molecules and microbes. Terahertz (THz) radiation sources and detectors have manyimportant potential applications in the areas of spectroscopy, detection, and security. However, its strongabsorption by water, and the complicated nature of absorption spectra in the THz regime has limited the use ofTHz spectroscopy to non-aqueous samples with well-known composition. To overcome these challenges, a toolhas been developed that uses THz radiation to monitor chemical reactions, known as the THz ChemicalMicroscope (TCM). However, the TCM in its actual form still faces a major challenge : the lack of methods toimprove its detection sensitivity and specificity to targets, such as molecules, cells and bacteria.With our invention, we were able to resolve this problem by using a time varying bias voltage, which increasesthe selectivity and sensitivity of the TCM to charged molecules and microbes. By controlling the waveform ofthe bias voltage, such an EB-TCM would be effective in detecting cells and bacteria, whose surface is naturallynegatively charged, as well as multiple molecules of significant importance in biology and medicine, such asDNA and RNA. Further, the EB-TCM could also be used to improve drug discovery, thereby havingsignificant impact on the pharmaceutics industry, whose annual R&D expenditures are $870 million in Canadaalone (2017). The current invention could also positively impact the aptamer market, which is expected toreach US$ 440 million by 2023. Aptamer development is known to be highly time consuming, and alwayscarrying the risk of failure in developing aptamers with high affinity. The current invention may contribute inovercoming such challenges, thus accelerating the growth of the aptamer market, with Canada emerging as amajor player.