AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Biosensor functionalisation
Within the AIT, the Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches for non-invasive and minimally invasive diagnostics. The focus spans from mass-fabricable and cost-effective biosensing systems for point-of-need applications to biomarker discovery, assay design, bioinformatics, and customized analysis. In the field of biosensor development, AIT addresses pivotal – firstly, how to bring a certain desired functionality to a sensor surface or microfluidic, and secondly, how to establish scalable fabrication processes for precise and reproducible modification of surfaces, such as electrodes in electrochemical sensors.
To bring assays to the surface, the AIT develops (bio)inks based on nanozymes, enzymes, nucleic acids, antibodies, aptamers and redox-active or ion-selective compounds, having resource and environmentally friendly material and processes.
Besides ink development an essential part of AIT’s biosensor expertise lies in the development of up-scalable processes to transfer assays from a lab scale to small batch production, which is crucial for product development.
To meet this demand, AIT is equipped with state-of-the-art non-contact liquid handling systems, including an instrumentONE-600 from M2-Automation. The microdispensing instrument enables the modification of substrates up to A3 size under controlled atmosphere, ensuring reproducibility (humidifier, temperature control, ionizer, DEW-point) and efficiency. Its non-contact picoliter-dispenser and nanoliter-dispenser allow precise modification of target structures (dimensions of 100 μm up to mm-scale) with (bio)ink volumes ranging from 100pL to µL. The creation of dispensing patterns for 2D and 3D substrates is facilitated by a DXF file importing software feature.