Development of a new biosensor platform for Point-Of-Care (POC) diagnostics

该博士项目旨在开发一种新的生物传感器平台，用于医疗点(POC)诊断，使样本输入输出设备能够用于快速核酸测试和分子诊断。抗原相关免疫分析和聚合酶链式反应相关的分子诊断分析都将被考虑。与分子诊断相比，基于抗原的免疫分析需要更多的蛋白质生物标志物。随着这项技术越来越多地被采用，分子诊断学正在迅速发展，以取代免疫分析的抗原测试。分子诊断学还具有高特异度等优点，有助于检测甚至微量的生物标志物。该项目的灵感来自于剑桥大学电机工程部Pi Dr.Luigi G.Occhipinti博士在各种生物传感器技术上所做的开创性工作，并领导了各种生物传感器技术，包括DNA无标记生物传感器(材料科学，2011年)，基于石墨烯的传感器(应用物理杂志，2013年)。APPL2014/0038193)，关于水门有机晶体管(Flex.打印出来。电子。2016年，1,025005)，最近，与剑桥大学的临床研究团队合作，进行生物相容性的定量分析(Adv.Biosys)。2017年)，以及发现细胞外小泡中的酶活性，潜在地应用于新的抗癌疗法，没有或仅有有限的副作用，如肝脏毒性(自然化学。生物学，2017)。在生物学、医疗保健技术和生物电子学的交汇点上，这个项目将为剑桥大学正在进行的学术研究开辟有趣的新方向，与赞助该项目的强大行业团队合作，该项目是全球住友公司的一部分。该项目将专注于开发一种多路实时定量聚合酶链式反应设备，作为感染疾病POC诊断分析的概念验证，并将当前基于荧光的实时检测方法应用于基于阻抗的电子生物传感器阵列，用于在RT-qPCR的指数阶段定量目标DNA扩增片段。他/她将接受先进的纳米制造、传感器设计、制造和表征方面的全面培训，包括一些印刷电子技术。此外，还将进行有关护理点诊断平台的培训，包括一些临床应用和验证方面的培训，以及传感器的表征和测量。与其他研究人员和学生合作，候选人将集成各种传感器和诊断模块，以展示新的平台能力。博士项目还将研究有助于克服传统PCR终点检测方法局限性的新方法，并引入新兴的生物传感器技术以及新的平台材料和衬底，以可能用精确的电子读数来取代光学读数检测方法，这为数据处理、噪声过滤和更好地提取定量信息提供了机会。建议的平台方法的主要优势包括：成本效益、生物兼容性和环境可持续性。剑桥大学的PI小组与全球领先的工业和学术合作伙伴有很强的合作联系。应聘者还将有机会与行业关键人物接触，并向未来的潜在雇主展示。该博士学位由住友化学集团旗下的剑桥显示技术有限公司提供支持。

This PhD project aims to develop a new biosensor platform for Point-Of-Care (POC) diagnostics that enable sample in answer out devices for rapid nucleic acid test and molecular diagnostics. Both antigen-related immunoassays and PCR-related molecular diagnostic assays will be considered. Antigen-based immunoassays require more amount of protein biomarker than molecular diagnostics. Molecular diagnostics is rapidly growing with the increasing adoption of this technology in place of antigen testing by immunoassays. Molecular diagnostics also possess advantages such as high specificity which helps detect even minute amount of biomarkers. This is of crucial importance especially in early detection of infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), tuberculosis, measles, dengue, Chagas, cholera, Sepsis and malaria.The project is Inspired by the seminal work done and led by the academic PI Dr. Luigi G. Occhipinti, University of Cambridge, Electrical Engineering Division, on various biosensor technologies including e.g. DNA Label-free Biosensors (Science of Adv. Materials 2011), on graphene-based sensors (J. of Applied Physics 2013), on Molecular Diagnostic assays (US Pat. Appl. 2014/0038193), on water-gated organic transistors (Flex. Print. Electron. 2016, 1, 025005), and more recently, in collaboration with clinical research teams at the University of Cambridge, on quantitative analysis of biocompatibility (Adv. Biosys. 2017), and discovery of enzymatic activity in extracellular vesicles, with potential applications in new anti-cancer therapies having no or limited side effects such as liver toxicity (Nature Chem. Biology, 2017).At the interface of biology, healthcare technology and bio-electronics, this project will open interesting new directions for ongoing academic research at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with a strong industry team sponsoring the project, which is part of the global Sumitomo company.The project will focus on developing a multiplex real-time quantitative PCR device as proof of concept demonstrator of a POC diagnostic assay for Infection Disease, and to adapt current fluorescence-based real-time detection method to an electrical, impedance-based, biosensor array for quantification of target DNA amplicons during the exponential phase of the RT-qPCR. He/She will receive full training in advanced nanofabrication, sensor design, fabrication and characterization, including some printed electronics techniques. In addition, training on point of care diagnostic platforms, including some clinical application and validation aspects will be done, as well as characterization and measurement of sensors will be provided. Working alongside other researchers and students, the candidate will integrate various sensor and diagnostic modules to demonstrate new platform capabilities.The PhD project will also look at novel approaches that help overcome the limitations of conventional PCR end-point detection methods, and introduce emerging biosensor technologies as well as new platform materials and substrates, such as paper, to possibly replace optical readout detection methods with precise electrical readout, which provides opportunities for data processing, noise filtering and better extraction of quantitative information.The main advantages of the proposed platform approach include: cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility, and environmental sustainability.The PI group at University of Cambridge has strong collaborative linkages to leading global industrial and academic partners, the candidate will also have the opportunity to engage with industrial key players and showcase to potential future employers. This PhD is supported by Cambridge Display Technology Limited, part of Sumitomo Chemical group.