SBIR Phase I: Integrated CMOS Microarray Disposable for Handheld Oligonulceotide Diagnostics

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research will lead to a novel disposable microarray device that combines solid-surface oligonucleotide synthesis with a CMOS imaging sensor. Since this technique involves direct coupling between fluorophore/emitter and the detector instead of an imaging optical system, the method provides a means for a small-footprint instrument with higher sensitivity and lower cost than present microarray instrumentation. The method will replace large benchtop detection instrumentation that are a real size and cost barrier for academic and smaller non-laboratory institutions that need to perform routine or fielded microarray diagnostics for the emerging field of genetic diagnostics. The proposed geometry will also include the integration of nanophase material that will enable high background rejection on the silicon CMOS sensor. With successful implementation of the compact reader instrumentation and novel signal transduction method, a new approach for microarray detection and analysis will be developed for applications such as disease profiling at the point-of-care and biothreat detection at the point-of-incident. The product of this research effort will lead to the development of microarray disposables, and associated reader instrumentation, that are less expensive and much smaller in size than present instrumentation and do not sacrifice sensitivity or throughput. Development of this type of microarray technology as a general purpose platform for the evolving field of genetic diagnostics will provide enhanced capabilities in areas such as gene expression profiling, pharmacogenomics and drug discovery, genetic sequencing, disease state profiling and other genetic diagnostics (e.g. parasites, pathogens).