Molecular biosensor chips support precision medicine and DNA storage
Molecular electronics sensor chip manufacturer, Roswell Biotechnologies, has teamed up with imec, the nanoelectronics and digital technologies research centre, to develop the first commercially available molecular electronics biosensor chips.
The chips will be used in Roswell Technologies’ DNA sequencing platform, to support precision medicine, molecular diagnostics, rapid infectious disease testing and DNA data storage.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for rapid, low-cost, consumer surveillance and diagnostics tools has been made extremely clear, explained Roswell president and CEO, Paul Mola. He said that the “Roswell molecular electronic platform will transform the way infectious diseases are detected, with powerful new capabilities that enable, rapid screening of many infectious diseases at once, or many viral strains, with portable or handheld devices.”
The Roswell platform is believed to be the first to deliver the power of molecular electronic sensing, to support a full spectrum of DNA sequencing and biosensing applications. This includes the spectrum of tests necessary for the detection and containment of infectious diseases, including sequencing, nucleic acid detection, antigen detection and antibody detection. The platform is scalable to provide rapid, low-cost whole genome sequencing in precision medicine, for treating cancer and other diseases, as well as for reading massive amounts of digital data stored in DNA.
Molecular electronic sensor chips integrate single molecules as electrical sensor elements on standard semiconductor chips. While electronic biosensors have seen gradual adoption in DNA sequencing and other areas of testing, there have been no major innovations in the basic sensor technology, reports Roswell. The molecular electronics sensors are specifically designed to be compatible with modern CMOS chip technology, delivering a technological breakthrough that significantly increases performance and lowers costs, says Roswell.
As a result, low-cost, high speed biomedical tests, including DNA sequencing and other forms of biomarkers sensing can be deployed on simple portable or handheld devices.
Roswell chief science officer Dr. Barry Merriman, said: “One of the significant hurdles to commercialising molecular electronics is the need for costly customised solutions for large scale manufacturing. Imec has overcome those challenges by utilising . . . semiconductor manufacturing technology coupled with its deep experience in biosensor technology to commercialise molecular electronics using standard tools”.
Imec and Roswell have successfully completed key proof-of-concept work and are now focused on final process development. The initial products are expected to be commercially available in 2021.