The development of a highly sensitive biochip based on silicon nanowire technology promises to advance the detection and analysis of RNA and DNA, which is central to many life sciences endeavors, ranging from uncovering and diagnosing disease to the discovery and screening of new drugs.
Development of the silicon nanowire biochip is made possible with a research collaboration agreement among the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) of Singapore, Australia-based BioChip Innovations and a Singapore biotech company, SiMEMS. The collaboration will bring together IME’s expertise in silicon nanowire-based sensor chip technology and the work that BioChip Innovations and SiMEMS had been doing on silicon biochips for RNA and DNA testing.
The silicon nanowire biochip will be able to shorten the time for genetic testing by directly detecting single molecules of RNA or DNA. Nanometer-scale dimensions enable silicon nanowires to offer increased detection sensitivity. The nanowires can also electronically detect bio-markers and other bio-molecules such as viral, bacterial and other specific genetic sequences.
According to Uppili Raghavan, CEO of SiMEMS, most biochip systems in use or in development currently depend on complex and expensive optics, signal processing systems and data interpretation, all of which are impediments to adoption by the diagnostics industry. “The development of nanowire sensors with electrical data readout is a breakthrough advancement in molecular based medicine. These devices can be manufactured in standard CMOS silicon foundries, which means they can be mass produced reliably and cost effectively,” said Mr Raghavan.
Associate Professor Theo Sloots, Unit Head of Sir Albert Sakzewski Virus Research Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, said there is a huge potential market for such applications in the DNA diagnostic area.
“The silicon nanowire biochip technology promises to become the new generation of diagnostics which will surpass the potential of previous technologies. The application of this technology in infectious disease diagnostics offers the exciting promise of rapid testing in the laboratory and ultimately at the bedside. This will have a significant impact on health economics and models of patient care,” he speculated.