Cancer Detection via Enzymatic Microassays

描述（由申请人提供）：在非常小的样品体积（亚微升）中进行简单，快速的酶分析的新方法将极大地有利于癌症的预后，诊断和检测。第一阶段的目标是证明将最初为血糖监测开发的硅微采样和分析设备应用于酶活性测量的可行性，使用一种新的技术，“扩散酶活性测量”。电化学氧化还原介导的前列腺酸性磷酸酶（PAP）检测就是一个例子，不需要芯片上的生物制剂（提供潜在的长保质期）。将设计和制造具有新型扩散微流控的硅芯片。计算机模拟模型将用于试验的开发。第一阶段选择的酶是一种已知的前列腺癌标志物。潜在的商业应用包括对亚微升液体样品的酶活性测量，例如从实验动物（或人类）提取的血液、组织提取标本、纯化酶和药物发现研究和开发。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): New methods for easy, rapid enzymatic assays in very small sample volumes (sub-microliter) will greatly benefit the prognosis, diagnosis and detection of cancer. The goal of Phase I is to demonstrate the feasibility of adapting silicon microsampling and assay devices originally developed for blood glucose monitoring, to enzyme activity measurement using a novel technique, "Diffusive Enzyme Activity Measurement." An electrochemical redox-mediated prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) assay will be the example, requiring no on-chip biologicals (providing a potentially long shelf-life). Silicon microchips with the novel diffusional microfluidics will be designed and fabricated. A computer simulation model will be used in the development of the assay. The enzyme chosen for Phase I is a known cancer marker for prostate cancer. Potential commercial applications include enzyme activity measurements on sub-microliter liquid samples, such as blood drawn from experimental animals (or humans), tissue extract specimens, purified enzymes and drug discovery research and development.