High-sensitivity impedance platform for multiplexing diagnostics
This work focuses on the adaptation and development of an electronic system able to perform impedance measurements. The final scope is to implement a platform for multiplexing diagnostics, adaptable and reconfigurable for various medical purposes. Indeed, in the last years, an increasing interest in the development of multiplexing point-of-care devices has been shown, where multiple and different analytes are detected from a single biological sample, speeding up the diagnostic process and widening the clinical picture.
Three fields can be identified and deepened: the design and production of the biochip, the improvement of the platform and the microfluidic functioning and, lastly, the proper design of the electronic board for very high-resolution impedance measurements.The electrodes are realized in gold over a borosilicate substrate, and their shape is optimized for multiplexing. The microfluidic chamber is where the reaction with the biological analyte occurs and is designed for a precise liquid control and a real-time supervision of the whole experiment. Finally, the configuration and improvement of the electronic board's software and firmware is realized, fundamental for high-resolution impedance detection.The correct functioning of the entire project is confirmed by detecting COVID-19 and, afterwards, by correctly distinguishing different COVID genes, N1 and N2, validating the multiplexing feature.
The reconfigurability of the system will be further tested with other biological analytes in order to pave the way to the development of a complete and innovative high-resolution medical device for multiplexing diagnostic.
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