Integrated Biosensors for Diagnostic Development

Sponsor: Virogenomics, Inc

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2007 - 10/31/2010
• Total project (est.): $2,232,938.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,996,550.00

Medical diagnostic methods typically test for a single "biomarker" that indicates a possible disease state. This approach provides only limited information, because many diseases have multiple contributing factors and surrogate markers of interest, such that a single test can never provide a complete diagnosis. Autoimmune diseases, allergies, cancers, and infectious diseases can have many different causes and manifestations, and could be better diagnosed with devices that can test for many different markers in a single assay. Virogenomics has proposed developing such a device using transducers made with existing microelectronic manufacturing methods. The proposed Sensor System on Panel (SSOP) will include all the hardware and firmware required to do a complete analysis of the interaction of biological molecules and communicate the result. The SSOP will incorporate at least two types of transducers and several transducer sub-types as well as circuit elements for command and control functions. Each sensor will have many transducers, each with a specific protein attached. When a patient sample, either serum or saliva, is applied to the device, the SSOP will detect any proteins that bind to any of the proteins attached to the transducers. The device would be the size and shape of a typical USB flash drive, and could be read on a standard personal computer through a USB port. No current technology offers this level of flexibility in design, fabrication, and operation. The proposed device could revolutionize research on and the diagnosis of multifactorial conditions such as autoimmune disease and allergy, enabling earlier treatment and the development of more specific therapeutics.

For project information:

Jeffrey King, (503) 626-1144
jeff.king@virogenomics.com

ATP Project Manager

Lawrence Uhteg, (301) 975-8779
lawrence.uhteg@nist.gov