 The PhotonicFlow can link via Bluetooth to a PDA for display. (Photo: Business Wire) |
May 10, 2007 — BIOIDENT Technologies Inc., developer of printed optoelectronic solutions for life sciences, has announced what it claims is the industry’s first complete, functional lab on a chip: the PhotonicFlow System. The system’s first application involves a multiwell chip, a handheld device controller, and readout software.
The PhotonicFlow System is based on BIOIDENT’s PhotonicLab Platform, which combines printed semiconductors with various lab-on-chip technologies. BIOIDENT’s customers and partners can now develop disposable lab-on-a-chip solutions (sans expensive, bulky readout systems) for cost-effective mobile diagnostics and analysis.
The PhotonicFlow System application expands upon BIOIDENT’s previously announced nanotiter plate prototype, a 1″x3″ multiwell chip (with a fully integrated photodetector array based on printed semiconductor technology) with a dedicated pixel under each well of the chip. This array converts light into electrical signals, enabling real-time analysis of multiple agents.
The new components of the PhotonicFlow System are the handheld device controller for electronic readout of the signals from the photodetector and the readout software for analytics and calibration. This new prototype eliminates the need for large, expensive, external readout systems being used today and opens up new opportunities for applications in medical in-vitro diagnostics, chemical and biological threat detection, and water testing.
“The PhotonicFlow System is a significant milestone for BIOIDENT and for the industry,” said Dr. Wasiq Bokhari, CEO for BIOIDENT Technologies. “This is truly a next generation mobile lab that is set to transform current diagnostics and analysis testing across multiple markets.”
BIOIDENT’s PhotonicLab Platform uses printed semiconductor-based technology to print light detection and electronics capabilities directly onto any surface, including glass and plastic materials, enabling on-chip analysis and diagnostics. In addition, the company uses existing assays and reagents and established testing protocols to deliver real-time and in-situ, multi-parameter detection capabilities for all categories of chemical and biological analytes. BIOIDENT’s printing process can also be used to create a wide variety of existing in-vitro diagnostic devices, opening up new opportunities and applications for real-time analysis of chemical and biological substances.