Sensors for Humans: Sensor Technology at MIT （3）

Published:2011/7/28 22:08:00 Author:Amy From:SeekIC

By Delano L. Klipstein

MEMS for biosensors

Joel Voldman, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT, reported on BioMEMS. Cells contain a large quantity of useful pieces of information which are not only of interest to doctors. Modern criminology is also dependent on cell research. Today’s typical experiments use cell cultures con­sisting of more than a million individual cells. The cells’ envi­ronment is poor: the cells die during the experiments, which changes the nature of the culture. What are wanted are biosensors which can extract the same information, and possi­bly much more, from just a few cells. MEMS (micro-electro­mechanical sensors) look as if they might make suitable biosensors.

Using such microminiaturized experimental methods it is pos­sible to aim for better results. For example, micromanipula­tion of samples can help extract desired information. The problem with experimenting on single cells lies in optical screening: one can only study what one can screen for. And one can only screen for what one can see. The classical microscope always shows the same section. If the sample being studied is on a glass slide, then there is no difficulty. However, when using dynamic screening, the cell material being studied flows across the screen, and thus there is always the danger that an interesting pan of the sample might be lost for ever.

Voldman and his colleagues are looking for a solution between these two extremes of dynamic and static screening, where there might be the possibility of repeating an observa­tion to obtain reliable data. Using MEMS one individual cell can be studied. The cells are kept alive in a transparent nutri­ent fluid. They can be studied using optical and electrical techniques, as well as by using ultrasound. Using microscopi­cally small grids cell traps can be constructed in which cells can not only be observed, but can also be moved around using electrical impulses.

Using these technologies we hope to gain insight into a secret that also concerns quantum physicists. Today we know very little about what influence observation from outside has on a cell. As in quantum computing, we have to be wary of the problem that when reading or writing information one always runs the risk of distorting the information itself.

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