Sensitivity and Selectivity Enhancement Strategies for Silicon Photonic Biosensor Arrays

在化学系化学测量和成像计划的支持下，伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的Ryan Bailey教授和他的团队正在开发基于芯片集成硅光学器件的可扩展且经济高效的化学和生化分析平台。这一科学计划的智力价值在于应用了从高度复杂的样品矩阵中检测极少量分析物分子的新机制。这些方法的基本进展集中在动态而不是稳态的传感器响应的监测上，将在一系列要求苛刻的分析应用中广泛促进对化学和生物分子物种的超灵敏检测，包括食品质量保证、国土安全、法医学、医学诊断学和环境监测。除了该项目的科学目标之外，该奖项还支持为研究生和本科生提供丰富的跨学科培训环境。特别是，来自不同背景的学生受益于实践教育、指导和积极的研究培训，以期成为未来的测量科学家。我们还积极鼓励和支持学生参加各种地方教育外展机会，以改善小学、高中和本科生的科学教育。向技术受众(科学出版物和会议)和非技术受众(大众媒体和教育宣传)传播项目成果有助于最大限度地扩大这项研究在满足我国当前和新兴的科学和教育需求方面所产生的更广泛的影响。

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Ryan Bailey and his group at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are developing a scalable and cost effective chemical and biochemical analysis platform based upon chip-integrated silicon optical devices. The intellectual merit of this scientific program lies in the application of novel mechanisms for detecting very small numbers of analyte molecules from within highly complex sample matrices. Fundamental advances in these approaches, which center around the monitoring of dynamic, rather than steady-state, sensor responses, will broadly facilitate the ultrasensitive detection of chemical and biomolecular species in a range of demanding analytical applications, including food quality assurance, homeland security, forensics, medical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring.Beyond the scientific goals of this project, which offer significant potential benefits to society, this award also supports a rich interdisciplinary training environment for graduate and undergraduate students. In particular, students from diverse backgrounds benefit from hands-on education, mentoring, and active research training towards future careers as measurement scientists. Students are also actively encouraged and supported to participate in a multitude of local educational outreach opportunities that work to improve science education at the primary, high school, and undergraduate levels. Dissemination of program successes to both technical (scientific publications and conferences) and non-technical (popular press and educational outreach) audiences helps maximize the broader impacts that this research has in meeting our country's current and emerging scientific and educational needs.