The specific aims of this project are as follows: (1) We will develop the design and fabrication of the polysi nanoribbon as a fully functional FET sensor. We will study the correlation between the device’s electronic characteristics and several design parameters in order to optimize device performance. (2) We will demonstrate nanoribbon detection of the cancer serum biomarker Vascular Endothalial Growth Factor (VEGF), which has been demonstrated to be increased in brain cancer. We will investigate the best antibody-to-surface binding chemistry to achieve the clinically relevant sensitivity. Conventional antibodies will be used as capture probes in phosphate buffered (PBS). (3) We will also investigate nanoribbon detection of 2 urinary biomarkers MMP-2 and MMP-9, their effectiveness in brain cancer monitoring, and correlation with brain cancer invasiveness. (4) And lastly, we will demonstrate the detection of the above 3 biomarkers in physiological solutions and calibrate our electrical signal with a those obtained from conventional detection methods such as ELISA.
