Molecular Sensing Technology Uses Light to Detect Contaminants

Colorado State University professor Kevin Lear and a team of CSU researchers have developed and patented an optical microchip-based sensor that can detect multiple analytes such as proteins, DNA, viruses, and petroleum-based contaminants. The technology provides molecular sensing capability in an array format on a silicon microchip that uses a novel mechanism for transducing a light signal, and eliminates the need for external spectrometers by using a simple array of photodetectors. Photodetectors are basically miniaturized solar cells that are built right into the silicon chip where the molecular sensing is occurring. Using customized surface chemistries, specific molecules can be captured on the surface of the silicon chip through a precise binding event. "As this the binding event tugs the light away from the photodetectors, we can sense that with a simple electrical signal," explains Lear. Lear and his team believe the technology will enable a variety of applications, especially in areas like point-of-care medical diagnostics and environmental sensing.

Transcript

00:00:00 hi I'm Kevin Le a CSU professor and inventor of a patented CSU technology for molecular sensing we're very excited about this technology because let lets us integrate individual sensors in an array format onto a silicon chip we think this is a very powerful technology that will enable a variety of applications particular in in areas such as point of Care Medical Diagnostics or

00:00:26 environmental sensing field applications where you need a lot of capability sensing in a very small miniaturized lowcost and potentially even disposable package today conventionally those types of measurements are carried out in a large laboratory with benchtop instruments so we're actually using a novel mechanism for transducing the signal that we can not only miniaturize

00:00:50 but it lets us get rid of things like spectrometers that would have to be off the Chip And instead use just a simple array of photo detectors so this chip would not only have the molecular sensing region but it would have a photod detector array in it that leverages a new ex mechanism that we've patented here at CSU in order to read out the tug of the molecules on the

00:01:14 light and as it tugs the light away from the photo detectors we can sense that with a simple electrical signal so where's this technology at what we've been able to do so far is demonstrate sensing of biomedically relevant proteins as well as sensing very low part billion concentrations of environmental contaminants in groundwater I've been around a number of

00:01:35 startup companies with a variety of ideas but I think I'm more enthusiastic about this technology than anything else that I've seen before and it's because it addresses important markets we have a very strong patent position and also because it leverages a mature manufacturing infrastructure in terms of the integrated circuit industry in fact I'm so enthusiastic about it I'm

00:01:56 investing my own money in research to push this company forward and I'm looking forward to working with a larger circle of collaborators co-investors and customers as we make this a success