Development of Nonvolatile Memory Biosensors for Rapidly Screening Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors that threaten people's health in not only Taiwan but also around the world. In recent years, due to the westernization of dietary habits, Taiwanese people usually eat high-fat and low-fiber food, colorectal cancer may become one of the important issues to affect the health of them. In fact, this cancer is prevented from eating and living habits. In addition, early detection and early treatment, colorectal cancer patients can still have high survival rates. In several western countries such as the United States, decreasing morbidity and mortality rates can be largely reflected through early colorectal cancer screening and removal of precancerous lesions to indirectly reduce the costs of health care. The gene mutation can change a protein coding gene that plays a critical role in signaling mechanisms. This can further disrupt normal development of cells, and thus produce tumor pathogenesis. The detection of mutations has gained significant attention in clinical diagnosis because of their implications in the development of cancer and hereditary diseases. However, a possible dilemma that comes with target therapy is tumor-developed resistance towards the drugs. Huge expenses spent on high costs but ineffective target drug therapies eventually become a great burden to Taiwan’s National Health Insurance. To reduce the screening time of sequencing for mutant KRAS and BRAF genes in colorectal cancer cells, we will develop a rapid electrolyte-oxide-insulator-oxide-semiconductor (EOIOS) nonvolatile memory biosensor to screen the gene of colorectal cancer. In this “Development of nonvolatile memory biosensors for rapidly screening colorectal cancer” project, we propose an EOIOS biosensor applications due to this biosensor with excellent sensing and stability characteristics. The bladder cancer FGFR3 and HRAS gene were immobilized EOIOS biosensors to rapidly screen the KRAS and BRAF genes of colorectal cancer for biomedical engineering applications. This project is divided into three years: 1st Year: Study of integration of EOIOS nonvolatile memory sensors a) Development of different ratios of Ce/Ti and thin film thicknesses for CeO2 and CeTixOy sensing films after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at different temperatures. b) Development of different thicknesses and materials of tunneling oxides and blocking oxides. c) Integration of CeO2 and CeTixOy sensing film for EOIOS sensor devices. d) To investigate the sensing and reliability characteristics of CeO2 and CeTixOy sensing films, the optimization condition of a Ce/Ti ratio, film thickness, and RTA temperature will be found to integrate CeO2 and CeTixOy make EOIOS sensor devices. 2nd Year: Fabrication of EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensors a) Glucose oxidase and urease using different biomolecule immobilization methods (agarose and aldehyde, thiol, and epoxide functional groups) are immobilized on the EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensors. b) The best method of immobilization is found among immobilization methods. c) The sensing and reliability characteristics of EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensors were explored. d) To explore the interface between bio-recognition and biosensor reaction. 3rd Year: Development of EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensor platforms for rapidly screen colorectal cancer a) The immobilization of KRAS and BRAF genes of colorectal cancer on EOIOS nonvolatile memory using the biological components of best immobilization method. b) Development of such EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensors for rapidly screening of colorectal cancer. c) Study of rapidly screening of KRAS and BRAF genes of colorectal cancer using EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensor platforms. d) The device yield and reliability of EOIOS nonvolatile memory biosensors were analyzed for gene screening of colorectal cancer in future biomedical engineering applications.

Project ID:PB10608-3666
External Project ID:MOST106-2221-E182-063