Electrochemical Microarray System for Acute Biomarker Detection Assessment for Point-of-Care (POC) Cancer Diagnosis

The research on biomarker detection has increased dramatically in recent years and many strategies has emerged. However, current methods for identifying specific biomarkers and small molecules for point of care (POC) diagnosis outcomes suffer shortcomings of limited specificity and complex procedure in the measurement and the lack of real-time analysis to establish a causal relationship between an individual's profile and impact on health. The goals of our research are 1) to provide researchers with a new tool to better assess the impacts of biomarkers and small molecules for the cancer diagnosis and treatment and 2) to provide individuals with an inexpensive benchtop device for rapid reporting of exposure data for personalized alerts and managed care services. To achieve these goals, we are exploring several key technologies and approaches that will enable implementation of a novel autonomous sensorarray microsystem for acute multi-analyte assessment, such as sulfatases, antibody/antigen and micro-RNA/RNA, with the sensitive real-time monitoring. Electrochemistry signals were classified and quantified during the bio-interactions on the designed electrode interface, exhibiting the excellent sensitivity and specificity for targeting biomarkers without adding signal media and label. This project would provide medical researchers and physicians with a much needed and currently non-existent tool for personal treatment assessment and decision, leading to more relevant disease regulation, intervention for individuals diagnosis, and ultimately improvement of overall public health.