Obiettivo
Objectives and content
DNA-based and immunoaffinity-type diagnostic testing is
characterised by the large number of mutations or
combinations that must be determined to come to a
complete and clinically relevant diagnosis. In human
health care, veterinary medicine or quality assessment of
food products there exists a growing tendency to
concentrate on the simultaneous detection of several
parameters in one assay. The driving force behind this
kind of multiparameter testing is certainly caused by the
concern of national governments to limit the ever-rising
health care costs.
In order to be able to carry out simultaneous detection
of several parameters on one hand while maintaining the
urge for automatisation on the other, one must be able to
leave the concept of the present devices and concentrate
on miniaturisation.
It is the aim of this project to develop an innovative
processing line for the development of a new generation
of polymer-based micro-sensor arrays for DNA-based and
immunoaffinity type of diagnostics. The end product will
be a cheap, disposable, user-friendly device having the
characteristics of the most advanced microsensors found
to date only in silicon based technology. The idea is
based on the combination of:
micro-injection moulding of polymers to realise a
polymer chip (typ. 2x2 cm2) having a large number (typ.
625) of three-dimensional sub-micron structures with
the oblique evaporation of metals for the definition of
the detector electrodes at these nanostructured sites.
Each of the individual sites of the resulting array of
micro-electrochemical detectors is finally provided with
its specific capturing molecule using a newly developed
micro-spotting instrument. In order to achieve these
goals, a multi-disciplinary team of investigators and
SME's from three different European countries has been
assembled, including specialists in micromachining,
microelectronics, diagnostic molecular biology,
biosensing and biosensor fabrication, and
microdispensing.
The consortium will approach the development of the
processing line for this type of new diagnostic system in
two stages:
The production of a 2x15 detection sites polymer based
array requiring only one metallisation step for the
realisation of the sub-micron electrodes and addressing
the individual detectors. The development of this device
will allow gaining the necessary experience for the
combination of the micro-moulding and oblique evaporation
technique.
The manufacturing of a 25x25-detection site polymer
based array produced with the same basic combination of
micro-moulding and oblique evaporation, but in which the
higher density of detectors requires a multilayer
approach for the addressing of the individual sensor
electrodes. The substantially higher number of probing
molecules that must be deposited will also require a new
type of microdispensing instrument.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsbiosensors
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybiosensing
- agricultural sciencesveterinary sciences
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmolecular biology
Invito a presentare proposte
Data not availableMeccanismo di finanziamento
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinatore
9052 Zwijnaarde
Belgio