Ultra-High-Density Arrays for Genome Research

We will develop porous silicon based detector chips for the identification of biomoleculefragments. Patches of porous silicon on a silicon wafer act as active sieves, loaded with taggingmolecules, where during passage through it biomolecule fragments are identified by their response afterattachment of a tag to a modulated electric field applied across the porous patch. This technique, ifsuccessful, will make the determination of the structure of large molecules by testing simultaneouslymany fragments with many tags feasible. The production of devices using porous silicon is part of theresearch done by a group at Texas A&M University (TAMU). Schemes for simultaneously testing manybiomolecule samples at close spacing on small sample carriers are being developed at DNA TechnologyLaboratory. In phase I, ATC would test prototype wafers with few porous silicon areas built by theTAMU group with samples provided by DNA Technology Lab to evaluate the principles of the technique.In a follow-on Phase II effort, ATC would build several high-density test chips with matching samplefeeders and seek opportunities and partners for commercialization of production of laboratory analysisdevices.