Porous silicon on paper-based optical biosensor for diagnostics

迫切需要开发具有成本效益、高灵敏度、可广泛部署的快速诊断测试系统，该系统可适用于检测各种病原体。这种类型的测试系统可以为医疗保健提供者提供必要的关键信息，以做出明智的治疗决定，也可以促进疾病分布模式的流行病学研究。该项目研究了在纸质基材上掺入高表面积多孔纳米材料是否可以为快速诊断测试提供一个新的，高灵敏度，定量和可靠的平台。多孔纳米材料用作主动感测区域，当特征分子被选择性地捕获在孔内时，该主动感测区域产生清晰的光学信号变化，而纸质基底是简单且具有成本效益的流体递送载体，其能够将测试溶液主动输送到多孔纳米材料。拟议的工作将导致先进的流体流动动力学和分子附着在多孔纳米材料与纸集成的理解，以及先进的知识与非传统的基板材料接口纳米材料。在教育方面，该计划将使学生接触到光学，材料科学，工程和化学交叉点的跨学科研究。将开发一个实用的光学生物传感器演示工具包，并通过可共享的视频，课堂参观和校园外展活动向K-12学生部署。该项目的目标是展示一种多孔硅纸光学生物传感器，能够快速，准确，定量和高灵敏度检测蛋白质生物标志物，这将大大提高快速诊断测试的能力。全面了解可实现的性能指标，公差，和潜在的限制，多孔硅纸上的光学生物传感器平台将达到。为了实现这一目标，关键的进展，实现多孔硅在纸上的横向流动配置，并了解在这样的配置中的流体流动动力学和分子结合动力学将实现。具体而言，该项目旨在：（1）开发一种将纳米级多孔膜与纸基微流体基底集成的稳健方法;（2）了解多孔膜-纸平台中的分子传输和结合动力学，作为多孔膜和渗透在膜中的物质的化学和物理特性的函数;（3）建立在横向流动快速测试框架中使用多孔硅光学薄膜的可行性;（4）通过SARS的检测来验证传感器-CoV IgM和IgG抗体。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

There is a critical need for the development of cost-effective, highly sensitive, widely deployable, rapid diagnostic testing systems that can be adapted for detecting a variety of pathogens. This type of testing system can give healthcare providers key information necessary to make educated treatment decisions, and also can facilitate epidemiological studies of disease distribution patterns. This project investigates whether incorporation of a high surface area porous nanomaterial on a paper substrate can enable a new, highly sensitive, quantitative, and reliable platform for rapid diagnostic testing. The porous nanomaterial serves as the active sensing region that produces a clear optical signal change when signature molecules are selectively captured inside the pores, while the paper substrate is a simple and cost-effective fluid delivery vehicle that enables active transport of a test solution to the porous nanomaterial. The proposed work will lead to advanced understanding of fluid flow dynamics and molecular attachment in porous nanomaterials integrated with paper as well as advanced knowledge related to interfacing nanomaterials with non-traditional substrate materials. Educationally, this program will expose students to interdisciplinary research at the intersections of optics, materials science, engineering, and chemistry. A hands-on optical biosensor demonstration kit will be developed and deployed to K-12 students through shareable videos, classroom visits, and on-campus outreach activities. The goal of this project is to demonstrate a porous silicon-on-paper optical biosensor capable of rapid, accurate, quantitative, and high sensitivity detection of protein biomarkers that will significantly advance the capabilities of rapid diagnostic testing. A comprehensive understanding of the achievable performance metrics, tolerances, and potential limitations of the porous silicon-on-paper optical biosensor platform will be attained. To accomplish this goal, key advances to realize porous silicon in a lateral flow configuration on paper and understand the fluid flow dynamics and molecular binding kinetics in such a configuration will be achieved. Specifically, this project seeks to: (1) develop a robust approach for integrating nanoscale porous films with paper-based microfluidic substrates; (2) understand molecular transport and binding kinetics in a porous film-on-paper platform as a function of the chemical and physical characteristics of the porous film and species infiltrated in the film; (3) establish the viability of using porous silicon optical thin films in a lateral flow rapid test framework; and (4) validate sensor through detection of SARS-CoV IgM and IgG antibodies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.