Fully integrated biosensing platform-integrating blood/plasma separation, digital microfluidics, and electrochemistry

最近，远程医疗和远程医疗领域出现了一场伟大的运动。尽管开发了用于与医疗保健提供者远程会诊的患者的数字基础设施，但缺乏在家使用的生物分析技术。这些技术分析患者样本以寻找健康或疾病的标志。在大流行后的虚拟会诊世界中，可在需要时使用的变革性生物分析技术面临重大机遇。这是一个目前价值330亿美元的行业，预计在未来五年将经历两位数的年增长。在这项提议中，我们将结合麦克马斯特大学和VERV技术公司几十年的研究开发的多种创新技术，首次解决在需要的时候为一组生物标志物分析一滴未处理的血液所涉及的技术和科学挑战。麦克马斯特大学已经开发出一种生物条形码分析方法，它使用DNA/抗体组件来专门针对生物标记物，并释放用于产生电信号的电活性DNA条形码。该系统具有高度的灵敏度和特异性，可同时分析多种分析物。目前，该检测方法适用于未稀释的血浆，需要较长的孵化步骤，并且使用一系列新手用户难以遵循的手动步骤进行操作。VERV科技公司开发了一种获得专利的自动化化验平台，旨在直接与血液和小样本体积一起工作，以减少化验时间。在这笔赠款的支持下，将这两项技术结合起来，预计将克服阻碍生物传感器从研究实验室转化到市场的主要障碍。这项最初旨在监测前列腺癌的独特技术在加拿大的发展将创造研发和制造业就业机会，并将为加拿大的医疗技术版图做出积极贡献。在一个向虚拟医疗转变的世界里，营销此类技术对于在加拿大和全球提供高质量的医疗保健至关重要，预计将为医疗保健的提供带来公平。

Recently, there has been a great movement toward telemedicine and remote healthcare. Despite development of the digital infrastructure for remote consultation of patients with healthcare providers, there is a lack of bioanalytical technologies for at home use. These technologies analyze patient specimens for markers of health or disease. In the post-pandemic world of virtual consultations, there is a major opportunity for transformative bioanalytical technologies that can be used at the point-of-need. This is currently a 33-billion-dollar industry that is projected to experience double digit annual growths in the next five years.In this proposal, we will combine multiple innovative technologies, developed over decades of research at McMaster University and Verv Technologies, for the first time to solve the technological and scientific challenges involved in analyzing a drop of unprocessed blood for a panel of biomarkers at the point-of-need. McMaster University has developed a bio-barcode assay that uses DNA/antibody assemblies for specifically targeting biomarkers and releasing an electroactive DNA barcode for generating an electrical signal. This system is highly sensitive and specific and is amenable to analyzing multiple analytes at once. The assay currently works with undiluted plasma, requires long incubation steps, and is operated using a series of manual steps that is difficult to follow by a novice user. Verv technologies has developed a patented platform for assay automation that is designed to work directly with blood and small sample volumes to reduce assay time. Combining the two technologies, with support from this grant, is expected to overcome the major hurdles that have inhibited the translation of biosensors from the research lab to the market. The development of this unique technology in Canada, initially targeted to the monitoring of prostate cancer, will generate research and development and manufacturing jobs, and will positively contribute to Canada's medical technology landscape. Marketing such technology is critically important for delivering high quality healthcare in Canada and globally in a world moving to virtual care, and is expected to bring equity to the delivery of healthcare.