FET based biosensor

Hyun Kwon (Engineering)

FET based biosensor for characterization for DNA hybridization

Nanotechnology has been widely used for many applications. Of particular interest is the development of new and enhanced sensors to detect biological markers for disease diagnosis at very low concentration levels. Among those biomarkers, detection of specific DNA/RNA sequences is important in clinical diagnosis of genetic disorders, and pathogen detection. The P.I. is interested in development of electrochemical devices such as field effect transistor (FET), which is fabricated using nanotechnology, as a platform of biosensor because they provide fast readouts and are readily instrumented as portable device.

In this proposal, FET based biosensor will be designed, fabricated and optimized for DNA sensing. The FET based DNA sensor will allow label free, real-time monitoring of DNA hybridization while providing advantages of compact instrumentation through high-throughput manufacturing.

This project will be a collaborative effort between the P.I. and Dr. Gregory Snider at the NotreDame University, IN. University of Notre Dame just established a new nanofacation facilities and Dr. Snider has established expertise in developing nanofabricated electrometers. The P.I. and Dr. Snider is jointly in preparation of external NSF grant (budget: ~$520,000) and this internal project is very important in generating a preliminary data to seek external grants.