The ability to perform multiparameter testing, on blood volumes of ~10μL or less in less than 20 minutes could revolutionalize medical diagnostic lab work, allowing for point of care diagnosis for a tremendous range of disorders and pathogens.  To achieve this will require new technologies.  We are exploring novel geometries for NEMS-based concentration sensing.  Fig. 1 shows a silicon NEMS cantilever embedded in microfluidics.  Nanoscale devices have great promise for enhanced sensitivity.  However, for devices immersed in fluid this sensitivity is compromised by heavy damping. We are exploring novel geometries to achieve the greatest possible sensitivity with minimal damping.  This includes exploring modes which are less influenced by the solution, and suspended microchannel resonators, a novel design first pioneered by T.P. Burg et al. (Nature, 2007).  Reducing the dimensions of the devices leads to a decrease in surface area and consequently capture probability.  Critical to the success of these efforts will be the large scale integration of arrays of devices towards a nanosystem.  This effort therefore ties in closely with other efforts in the group in this area.

Chemical recognition is a critical component to achieving specificity across almost all biodetection platforms.  With this in mind we are pursuing both traditional and novel forms of device functionalization.  For the latter we are pursuing a bead based protocol in which functionalized beads are captured on the device via dielectrophoresis to form a functionalized device (Fig. 2).  The protocol being developed with allow for control over the position of individual beads. 

Most of what we have learned from biology comes from studying large ensembles of cells.  With these techniques we will have the ability to monitor a matrix of cells - with resolution at the individual cell level.  This has the potential to open entire fields of research, with possibilities still waiting to be discovered.