Advancing SERS biosensing through adaptable sensor design

In fifteen words or less, explain the significance of this contribution (Novel Aspect).: Re-thinking the design process for sensors based on functional nucleic acids

Abstract Text:

Emerging infectious diseases and global food security are arising as major societal challenges due to climate change and other shifting conditions. We believe surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based technology can play a key role in tackling global challenges, including early surveillance of infectious diseases and advancing precision agriculture. However, SERS-based technologies still miss the required parameters to play this role, including ease-of-use and sensitivity. Our goal is to advance the state-of-the-art for SERS biosensors developing sensing solutions designed to meet these global challenges.

 

Specifically, our lab has been working on the automation of sensor design, as a tool for rapid response to emerging threats and for generating libraries for sensor optimization. Being able to predict the figures-of-merit for a sensor given input genetic target sequence removes the requirements for validation steps and permits to optimize sensor performance within a given target genome. Our previous work has focused on the rational designing of a catalytic sensing mechanism to improve to advance current reagentless SERS sensors. The optimization results for this sensor design were integrated in an automated design algorithm. Our current research focus is on establishing processes that permit high-throughput sensor screening combined with inverse design, rethinking sensor design.