Calibration-free affinity biosensors for rapid, accurate biomarker detection
This technology is a graphene field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor that uses aptamer binding kinetics for rapid and reliable detection of protein biomarkers, enabling precise point-of-care diagnostics without requiring individual sensor calibration.
Unmet Need: Calibration-free, rapid, and reliable biomarker quantification
Current biosensor platforms for detecting protein biomarkers—especially those used in point-of-care and clinical diagnostics—require time-consuming and labor-intensive individual calibration of each sensor device due to variability introduced during manufacturing and surface preparation. This device-to-device variation leads to workflow inefficiencies, inconsistent results, and increased operational costs, limiting the widespread adoption of advanced biosensors in settings where rapid and reliable measurements are critical. Addressing these shortcomings is essential to enable seamless, user-friendly diagnostic testing that is robust across different sensor batches and sample types, ultimately improving accessibility and accuracy of biomarker-driven healthcare.
The Technology: Calibration-free graphene field-effect transistor biosensor for rapid, accurate biomarker detection
This technology enables rapid and reliable measurement of protein biomarkers by integrating aptamer molecules onto a graphene field-effect transistor (FET) platform and extracting target concentration from the kinetics of aptamer-target binding rather than device-dependent signal output. When a biological sample flows over the sensor, the aptamer binds its target protein, and the sensor tracks the time-dependent change in electrical current. These binding kinetics are intrinsic to the aptamer and target and remain consistent regardless of sensor-to-sensor fabrication differences, which eliminates the need for labor-intensive, device-specific calibration. This technology has been validated using complex biological samples, such as serum, demonstrating high inter-device reproducibility, along with ultrasensitive and specific detection of key disease proteins.
Applications:
- Point-of-care diagnostic assays for rapid detection of protein biomarkers in clinical settings
- Hospital and critical care patient monitoring
- Multiplexed biomarker panels for disease profiling, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring
- Drug development and screening
- Academic and industrial research tool for studying biomolecular binding kinetics, validating aptamer selection, or high-throughput screenings
- Quality assurance or process monitoring in biomanufacturing
Advantages:
- Rapid, calibration-free biomarker measurement, eliminating the need for individual sensor calibration
- Consistent and reliable results by using aptamer kinetics, avoiding manufacturing variation issues
- Highly sensitive and suitable for complex samples like blood
- Elimination of calibration steps saves time, reduces costs, and simplifies workflow
- Simple integration into portable devices, ideal for future use in clinics or at home
Lead Inventor:
Patent Information:
Patent Pending
Related Publications:
Tech Ventures Reference:
IR CU22223
Licensing Contact: Dovina Qu