ECHEMPIX - A NEW GENERATION OF ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOSENSORS FOR DIGITAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

PID2022-136649OB-I00

The digital transformation of social infrastructures - a necessary step to achieve the UN's sustainable development goals - requires more and more detection platforms that can feed data to the global information network. In health, this much-needed transformation is hampered by the lack of tools to remotely track people's physiological parameters. The EChemPix project aims to address this urgent and growing social need.

EChemPix is a new technology platform for creating simple, robust and very affordable biosensors that can be used at the point of need, for example in the home, in a small doctor's practice  or in remote locations. The technology is based on a radically new approach to generating biochemical signals using the pseudocapacitive behavior of a new cell semi-open solid-state electrochemistry. Developed in our labs over the last few years, this system is designed with a vertically stacked architecture to reduce the sensor footprint. The name comes from the use of mechanisms pseudocapacitive charge of the working electrode, imitating the behavior of conventional pixels.

Several features make this technology attractive for distributed sensors. First, only one electrode is in contact with the sample. This leads to a significant reduction in sample volume and simplification of sample introduction. In addition, since the system works capacitively, potentiometric, galvanostatic and coulombometric readings can be performed. Last but not least, the entire platform can be built on low-cost basic substrates, such as paper, using direct printing methods, enabling very affordable devices. Furthermore, due to their simple design, the devices can be easily integrated to create an array, where multiple independent sensors share a common backplate reference electrode. Therefore, multiplex detection in a miniaturized format can be easily achieved.

The ability of this system to detect peroxide with exquisite sensitivity, selectivity and wide linear ranges has already been tested in our laboratories. In this work, we propose its use to develop a new generation of biosensors. In particular, the quantitative detection of marked assays - such as tests based on immunosorbent assays - will be pursued linked to enzymes, ELISA-. Efforts will focus on the development of paper-based ELISA tests (eventually leading to lateral flow devices). First, systems for the detection of simple parameters, such as IgG, PCR, will be individually developed and optimized. Later, these systems will be integrated into a detection array and the detection will be validated in body fluids, such as saliva or blood. Additional work will also be carried out aimed at understanding the operating mechanisms of this cell and extending the detection to other substances.

Rather than focusing on the detection of a specific biomarker, the paper-based EChemPix arrays will create a platform versatile for building quantitative and very affordable biosensors. The aim of this project is to become a stepping stone towards the digital transformation of healthcare