Microfabricated Deposition Tools for Creating NanoArrays

描述(申请人提供)：本提案的目标是设计和测试新型微悬臂梁装置，以改善超小型阵列中生物材料的沉积。Bioforce NanoSciences，Inc.(http://www.bioforcelab.com)是开发下一代生物分子筛选阵列或纳米阵列的行业领先者，其专利技术允许构建具有亚微米空间地址的生物芯片。这些纳米级阵列允许在单个最先进的微阵列斑点占据的相同表面空间内进行一千或更多的分子测试。这种格式大大节省了试剂成本，并伴随着超小型化，更重要的是，它为在涉及极少量样品的应用中执行基于阵列的分析提供了一个现实和受欢迎的平台，在这些应用中，使用当前的微阵列格式是不可行的。这些应用包括单细胞蛋白质图谱、产前诊断、法医测试、高通量药物筛选和微创临床诊断测试。这项技术的商业化需要高度可重复性的分子沉积，而这在目前的沉积工具中是不可行的。本研究项目将通过以下具体目标推动这项技术的发展：1.设计和建造前置和后置式针刺式和孔口式单一和多路沉积工具；以及2.使用目标1中设计的设备比较迭代沉积-清洗循环和预加载、连续流沉积方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to design and test novel microcantilever devices for the purpose of improving deposition of biomaterials in ultraminiaturized arrays. BioForce NanoSciences, Inc. (http://www.bioforcelab.com) is an industry leader in the development of next-generation biomolecular screening arrays, or NanoArrays, with patented technology permitting the construction of biochips with sub-micron spatial addresses. These nano-scale arrays allow a thousand or more molecular tests to be carried out in the same surface space occupied by a single state-of-the-art microarray spot. This format offers dramatic savings in reagent cost that accompanies ultra-miniaturization, and more importantly, it provides a realistic and sought-after platform for performance of array-based analyses in applications involving extremely small quantities of sample material where uses of current microarray formats are not feasible. These applications include single-cell protein profiling, prenatal diagnostics, forensic testing, high-throughput drug screening, and minimally invasive clinical diagnostic testing. Commercialization of this technology requires highly reproducible molecular deposition that is not feasible with current deposition tools. This research project will advance this technology through the following specific aims: 1. Design and construct front and back loading quill- and aperture-type single, and multiplexed deposition tools; and 2. compare iterative deposition-wash cycle with pre-load, continuous flow deposition methods using the devices designed in aim 1.