Neuron-based Monitoring Electrochemical Bio-Sensor Interface System

Project Information

NeMESIS

Grant agreement ID: 796366

DOI

10.3030/796366

Project closed

EC signature date 3 April 2018

Start date 1 February 2019

End date 31 January 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 183 454,80

EU contribution

€ 183 454,80

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NeMESIS (Neuron-based Monitoring Electrochemical Bio-Sensor Interface System)

Reporting period: 2019-02-01 to 2021-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project explored emerging technologies (memristive nanoscale devices) in an unconventional role (bio/chemical-sensing) ultimately targeting the development of a miniaturized sensing platform implementing memristive nanoscale devices as intelligent bio-sensing interfaces, a very new area and technological advancement in the medical and biosensing research. The main objectives were the realization and validation of this new bio-sensing platform and the implementation for the real-time detection of inflammation markers. The project delivered a good publications record, despite the COVID challenges and the slow initial set-up, due to labs availability and delays with arranging access to experimental facilities.
The project successfully achieved:
• Development and validation of the chemristor (from chemical- memristor), a modified version of the memristor with the added capability of interfacing chemical signals to a device with an inherent dynamic response, thus providing monitoring of bio-electrochemical processes.
• Demonstration of memristor-based sensing platform reconfigurability overcoming longstanding bottleneck in realizing this, is various non-idealities that generate offsets and variable responses across sensors (Sci. Rep. 10(1), 1-6, 2020).
• Showcasing the biosensing capabilities and performance for cancer markers detection at the range within the clinical range of interest [ng/ml] (Sci. Rep. 10(1), 1-6, 2020).
• Showcasing real-time continuous monitoring function and successful application for detection of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein) achieving a Limit-of-detection of 0.18 pg/mL, when the CRP Limit-of-detection achieved with ELISA was 300 pg/ml. The paper related to these project outcomes is currently under review-submitted January 2021)

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project successfully delivered a new bio-sensing platform, based on memristor devices with low switching threshold fabricated as metal-oxide systems TiOx coupled with binding assays developed and realised through functionalization of the sensing device with specific antibody probes against target biomarkers. The sensing mechanism was based on the monitoring of the resistive states over time. Methods for extracting electrochemical activity information from the integrated signal provided were developed, initial, preliminary experiments were carried out for testing the sensing performance and for optimizing the platform, that was then implemented successfully 1) for cancer biomarker’s detection and 2) for real-time continuous monitoring of inflammation markers.
• Development and validation of a novel technology and new bio-sensing tool for diagnostics (the chemristor for continuous real-time monitoring of health-related biomarkers. Prostate cancer markers detection at the range within the clinical range of interest [ng/ml] (Sci. Rep. 10(1), 1-6, 2020) and real-time continuous monitoring of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein) achieving a Limit-of-detection of 0.18 pg/mL, when the CRP Limit-of-detection achieved with ELISA was 300 pg/ml. The paper related to these project outcomes is currently under review-submitted January 2021)
• Showcasing reconfigurable bio-sensing panels, overcoming longstanding bottlenecks in the state-of-the-art (non-idealities and offsets across sensors) (Sci. Rep. 10(1), 1-6, 2020).
• Τhe platform implementation was expanded beyond bioelectronics framework and successfully demonstrated as light sensor showed potential for and light induced programming.
• Results dissemination though publications in journals (2 accepted and 2 under review-submitted January 2021) and international conferences (4 scientific venues).
• Outreach activities (2 activities planned and realised) and seminar/webinar organisation (18 lectures) with distinguished scientists from academia and industry.
• Τraining to new measurement and characterization techniques for memristors (Arc instruments).
• Collaboration with Cambridge university (Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy) for conductive AFM characterization.
• Participation EPSRC Capital Award for Core Equipment (Co-I) for acquisition of EC-AFM tool.
• Attendance -workshops: 1-day workshop Bioelectronic Medicines: Past, Present and Future, organised by the Royal Academy of Engineering (1st October 2019) and Future Trends in Neuromorphic Electronics, organised by Loughborough University (11-12 April 2019)
• MSCA-IF monitoring meeting on e-health and biomedical technologies Thursday 20th & Friday 21st of June 2019 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels.
• Participation, presentation coaching and pitch at MSCA-Falling Walls Lab 2019.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Τhe MSCF offered the researcher new skills and knowledge, enhanced the publications track-record and the researcher’s presence in the field through the dissemination of the project outcomes, and expanded the professional network through the collaborations and synergies developed during the project. The work carried out addressed issues related to the medical field and personalized medicine, namely, providing a power-efficient, reconfigurable, miniaturized platform for early-stage detection and continuous monitoring of cancer and inflammatory markers improving diagnostics procedures. The work carried out contributed towards European policy objectives and strategies and the project results can potentially be useful to medical clinics (as a portable tool for diagnostics tests) as well as for medical research companies (communication for expression of interest with Galvani Bioelectronics) for further exploitation and development of the research outcomes.
• IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) 2019 (SparrhoTravel Award Early Career Researcher Prize February 2019).
• International Conference on Memristive Materials, Device & Systems (MEMRISYS) 2019
• European Materials Research Society (E-MRS)-Spring meeting 2020 (2 papers accepted, conference postponed for 2021)
• Materials Research Society (MRS) 2020 (1 paper accepted -poster format, conference held virtually)
Scientific publications with access repositories and a reference to EU funding.
• Sci. Rep. 10, 21130, 2020
• Sci. Rep. 10(1), 1-6, 2020
• Paper under review in Sci. Rep. (submitted January 2021)
• Review paper under review in Nat. Mat. (submitted January 2021)
• Outreach activity at St John's Primary and Nursery School, Southampton, UK, April 4th, 2019 Bringing concepts of nanotechnology to a level that is understandable by children in an enjoyable manner.
• Active Participation in planning and the realization of outreach program that provided at-home-experiments (Spring 2020) for students 7 to 10 years old then shared by the RAEng to over 2000 schools as a key outreach STEM@ home activity.
• Organisation of the seminars and webinars series for Centre for Electronics Frontiers (18 seminars to date), including lectures form distinguished scientists belonging in academia and in industry.
• Dissemination of research goals and achievements through CEF website (https://cef.soton.ac.uk/) and twitter-page @CElFrontiers. Dissemination through personal webpage https://zepler.soton.ac.uk/people/it1f19 and twitter account @ioutzou
• Research dissemination through Sparrho platform and provided a 3-min digest for online platform Sparrho (https://www.sparrho.com) May 2019
• Finalist at MSCA-Falling Walls Lab 2019, Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Belgium, September 26th, 2019.

Chemristor- Bio/chemical Memristor sensor