The Multicorder
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Engineering
Abstract
We propose to create the world's first broad spectrum sensor technology - the Multi-Corder. We will do this by exploiting and advancing leading-edge microelectronic engineering. The world of electronics is dominated by complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. CMOS has made modern computing and communications possible and has also made an enormous impact on sensing technology such as the digital camera chip. Most recently CMOS has enable the development of the personal genome machine - a next generation sequencing system. We propose to create technology to sense the personal metabolome. This is important since where the genome may indicate an individual's propensity towards a disease, the metabalome is an immediate measurement of body function, hence provides a means of diagnose. Not all possible afflictions are measurable using the metabalome. Using the same fundamental technology we also propose to detect microbial infectious agents. Bacterial affliction already in the body, or in the environment (e.g. a hospital ward) will be targetted, alleviating major problems such as hospital acquired infection. Further beneficiaries are in point of use diagnostic tools and highly portable systems capable of use in the developing world where there is limited infrastructural support.
We also foresee yet more ambitious outcomes from the research, and we expect to made progress towards their realisation. We envisage that once a full measurement and analysis of a patient or a contaminated area is achieved, the Multi-Corder technology will underpin new methods of chemical synthesis for drugs. We will demonstrate the use of the technology for direct, high-speed, visualisation of chemical activity, and the means by which the data can be used to control the chemical process required for synthesis.
The targets that we will address will take advantage of the ability of microelectronics to make many (millions if needs be) of devices on a single chip, or to integrate diverse technologies together. The core semiconductor technology will be augmented by chemical, lithographic and bio-technologies in order to build complex functions. Our approach is based on a combination of established track record, new insights, and emergent technologies for which we have established trial feasibility. Using our current knowledge as a springboard, we will exploit the flexibility and collaborative framework that a Programme Grant will afford us to create an exciting new technology.
We also foresee yet more ambitious outcomes from the research, and we expect to made progress towards their realisation. We envisage that once a full measurement and analysis of a patient or a contaminated area is achieved, the Multi-Corder technology will underpin new methods of chemical synthesis for drugs. We will demonstrate the use of the technology for direct, high-speed, visualisation of chemical activity, and the means by which the data can be used to control the chemical process required for synthesis.
The targets that we will address will take advantage of the ability of microelectronics to make many (millions if needs be) of devices on a single chip, or to integrate diverse technologies together. The core semiconductor technology will be augmented by chemical, lithographic and bio-technologies in order to build complex functions. Our approach is based on a combination of established track record, new insights, and emergent technologies for which we have established trial feasibility. Using our current knowledge as a springboard, we will exploit the flexibility and collaborative framework that a Programme Grant will afford us to create an exciting new technology.
Planned Impact
We propose to create a technology platform to visualise chemical processes in situ, investigate the personal metabolome, identify infectious agents and, from these data, work towards controlled synthesis of targeted therapeutics locally and autonomously. The heart of this ambitious system will be an integrated circuit containing many detectors, each of which is capable of functionalisation to make a Multi-Corder. Our research programme marries investigator track records and established feasibility, through early stage outputs, to a research vision with far-reaching, long-term, aims.
This programme will impact upon the capacity of semiconductor technologies and the expansion of their use, through design and application, into new markets. Through computer and communications technologies microelectronics has revolutionised every facet of our lives, and we will show that there is potential for much more to come. There will be new impacts on medical diagnostics, environmental sensing, food and drink quality control, analytical tools for chemical and biological sciences, and control of synthesis technologies. Stimulated by such possibilities, and driven by our expertise in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Micro-Nano Technology (MNT), the research team in this Programme Grant application will strive to develop new, open, integrated architectures leading to widespread use in many settings, from the clinic to the field. The knowledge generation will be cross-disciplinary, with each subject area exposing new scientists within their field to the power of interdisciplinary research. Specific impacts will occur upon patients, infection control professionals, UK industry, the wider community and the developing world.
The proposers are engaged with government and non-governmental agencies to provide advice and leadership. They have also worked extensively in knowledge transfer and have successfully seen their research commercialised. The team will therefore build on its track record to ensure the research achieves the best possible outcomes.
Traditional mechanisms for scientific dissemination remain the gold-standard for scientific quality assessment. We will publish our research in the leading scientific and technical peer-review journals. We will continue to accept invitations to present our work at international conferences, and we will support and encourage our post-doctoral researchers and PhD students to write and present papers at leading conferences and workshops, obtaining a two-fold impact of introducing new science and scientists to the international community. In addition to communication with our peers, we have, as a team, an excellent record of scientific engagement with the lay community of science funders and end-users. We will continue this work through the learned societies, and with the help of university corporate communications who have successfully engaged the interest of broadcast and print media.
This programme will impact upon the capacity of semiconductor technologies and the expansion of their use, through design and application, into new markets. Through computer and communications technologies microelectronics has revolutionised every facet of our lives, and we will show that there is potential for much more to come. There will be new impacts on medical diagnostics, environmental sensing, food and drink quality control, analytical tools for chemical and biological sciences, and control of synthesis technologies. Stimulated by such possibilities, and driven by our expertise in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Micro-Nano Technology (MNT), the research team in this Programme Grant application will strive to develop new, open, integrated architectures leading to widespread use in many settings, from the clinic to the field. The knowledge generation will be cross-disciplinary, with each subject area exposing new scientists within their field to the power of interdisciplinary research. Specific impacts will occur upon patients, infection control professionals, UK industry, the wider community and the developing world.
The proposers are engaged with government and non-governmental agencies to provide advice and leadership. They have also worked extensively in knowledge transfer and have successfully seen their research commercialised. The team will therefore build on its track record to ensure the research achieves the best possible outcomes.
Traditional mechanisms for scientific dissemination remain the gold-standard for scientific quality assessment. We will publish our research in the leading scientific and technical peer-review journals. We will continue to accept invitations to present our work at international conferences, and we will support and encourage our post-doctoral researchers and PhD students to write and present papers at leading conferences and workshops, obtaining a two-fold impact of introducing new science and scientists to the international community. In addition to communication with our peers, we have, as a team, an excellent record of scientific engagement with the lay community of science funders and end-users. We will continue this work through the learned societies, and with the help of university corporate communications who have successfully engaged the interest of broadcast and print media.
Organisations
- University of Glasgow, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
- Selex ES (Collaboration)
- Nanoink Inc, United States (Project Partner)
- Procter and Gamble UK, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Life Technologies Limited, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- ST Microelectronics Limited (UK), United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Selex-Galileo, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- XstalBio, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital NHS Trust, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Texas Instruments Ltd, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Cambridge Immunosensors Ltd, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
Publications
Zheng Q
(2018)
Self-Sorting of Heteroanions in the Assembly of Cross-Shaped Polyoxometalate Clusters
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Zang HY
(2016)
Assembly of inorganic [MoSO] panels connected by selenite anions to nanoscale chalcogenide-polyoxometalate clusters.
in Chemical science
Yoshida M
(2017)
Time-programmable drug dosing allows the manipulation, suppression and reversal of antibiotic drug resistance in vitro.
in Nature communications
Ye J
(2018)
Strategies to Explore and Develop Reversible Redox Reactions of Li-S in Electrode Architectures Using Silver-Polyoxometalate Clusters
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Vilà-Nadal L
(2017)
Design and synthesis of polyoxometalate-framework materials from cluster precursors
in Nature Reviews Materials
Turk-MacLeod R
(2018)
Approach to classify, separate, and enrich objects in groups using ensemble sorting.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Tsuda S
(2015)
Customizable 3D Printed 'Plug and Play' Millifluidic Devices for Programmable Fluidics
in PLOS ONE
Taylor JW
(2017)
Autonomous model protocell division driven by molecular replication.
in Nature communications
Szymanski J
(2018)
Exploring Strategies To Bias Sequence in Natural and Synthetic Oligomers and Polymers
in Accounts of Chemical Research
Suárez-Marina I
(2019)
Integrated synthesis of nucleotide and nucleosides influenced by amino acids
in Communications Chemistry
Surman AJ
(2019)
Environmental control programs the emergence of distinct functional ensembles from unconstrained chemical reactions.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Steiner S
(2019)
Organic synthesis in a modular robotic system driven by a chemical programming language.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Shakoor A
(2016)
Plasmonic Sensor Monolithically Integrated with a CMOS Photodiode
in ACS Photonics
Shakoor A
(2019)
Towards Portable Nanophotonic Sensors.
in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
Shakoor A
(2017)
1D silicon nitride grating refractive index sensor suitable for integration with CMOS detectors
in IEEE Photonics Journal
Shakoor A
(2018)
CMOS Nanophotonic Sensor With Integrated Readout System
in IEEE Sensors Journal
Sartzi H
(2015)
Trapping the d Isomer of the Polyoxometalate-Based Keggin Cluster with a Tripodal Ligand.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Sartzi H
(2015)
Trapping the d Isomer of the Polyoxometalate-Based Keggin Cluster with a Tripodal Ligand
in Angewandte Chemie
Sans V
(2016)
Towards dial-a-molecule by integrating continuous flow, analytics and self-optimisation.
in Chemical Society reviews
Salley DS
(2020)
A Modular Programmable Inorganic Cluster Discovery Robot for the Discovery and Synthesis of Polyoxometalates.
in ACS central science
Points L
(2018)
Artificial intelligence exploration of unstable protocells leads to predictable properties and discovery of collective behavior
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Patil SB
(2018)
An integrated portable system for single chip simultaneous measurement of multiple disease associated metabolites.
in Biosensors & bioelectronics
Parrilla-Gutierrez JM
(2017)
Adaptive artificial evolution of droplet protocells in a 3D-printed fluidic chemorobotic platform with configurable environments.
in Nature communications
Nagy B
(2018)
Immunoassay Multiplexing on a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Photodiode Array
in ACS Sensors
Martin-Sabi M
(2016)
Rearrangement of {a-P2W15} to {PW6} moieties during the assembly of transition-metal-linked polyoxometalate clusters.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Martin-Sabi M
(2018)
Redox tuning the Weakley-type polyoxometalate archetype for the oxygen evolution reaction
in Nature Catalysis
Martin C
(2014)
Directed nerve regeneration enabled by wirelessly powered electrodes printed on a biodegradable polymer.
in Advanced healthcare materials
Martin C
(2015)
Towards a biodegradable, electro-active nerve repair conduit
Lin C
(2018)
Digital Control of Multistep Hydrothermal Synthesis by Using 3D Printed Reactionware for the Synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks
in Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Lei J
(2019)
Tuning Redox Active Polyoxometalates for Efficient Electron-Coupled Proton-Buffer-Mediated Water Splitting.
in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Kitson PJ
(2016)
The digital code driven autonomous synthesis of ibuprofen automated in a 3D-printer-based robot.
in Beilstein journal of organic chemistry
Kitson PJ
(2016)
3D printing of versatile reactionware for chemical synthesis.
in Nature protocols
Kitson P
(2018)
Digitization of multistep organic synthesis in reactionware for on-demand pharmaceuticals
in Science
Hu C
(2018)
Hybrid Dual Mode Sensor for Simultaneous Detection of Two Serum Metabolites
in IEEE Sensors Journal
Hao D
(2016)
Plasmonic gold nanodiscs using piezoelectric substrate birefringence for liquid sensing
in Applied Physics Letters
Hao D
(2018)
Hybrid localized surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance sensor for label free biosensing.
in Biosensors & bioelectronics
Gromski P
(2020)
Universal Chemical Synthesis and Discovery with 'The Chemputer'
in Trends in Chemistry
Gromski P
(2019)
How to explore chemical space using algorithms and automation
in Nature Reviews Chemistry
Granda JM
(2018)
Controlling an organic synthesis robot with machine learning to search for new reactivity.
in Nature
Giagkoulovits C
(2017)
Hybrid amperometric and potentiometrie sensing based on a CMOS ISFET array
Giagkoulovits C
(2018)
A 16 x 16 CMOS Amperometric Microelectrode Array for Simultaneous Electrochemical Measurements
in IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers
Duros V
(2019)
Intuition-Enabled Machine Learning Beats the Competition When Joint Human-Robot Teams Perform Inorganic Chemical Experiments.
in Journal of chemical information and modeling
Duros V
(2017)
Human versus Robots in the Discovery and Crystallization of Gigantic Polyoxometalates.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Dragone V
(2017)
An autonomous organic reaction search engine for chemical reactivity.
in Nature communications
Doran D
(2019)
Emergence of Function and Selection from Recursively Programmed Polymerisation Reactions in Mineral Environments.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Colón-Santos S
(2019)
Taming the Combinatorial Explosion of the Formose Reaction via Recursion within Mineral Environments
in ChemSystemsChem
Colón-Santos S
(2019)
Taming the Combinatorial Explosion of the Formose Reaction via Recursion within Mineral Environments
in ChemSystemsChem
| Description | Multimodal sensors on integrated circuits Enzyme based assays Ion sensors Integration technologies Immunoassays |
| Exploitation Route | We have formed a new company called Multicorder DX and we are now in discussion with several potential investors. A CEO designate has been appointed. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| URL | http://www.multicorderdx.co.uk |
| Description | 2 patents have been filed and are now at international stage. A company has been formed called Multicorder DX and we are actively seeking investment. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Electronics,Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
| Description | Scottish Funding Council review of Research Pooling |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a national consultation |
| URL | https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/briefing-evidence/independent-review-scottish-funding-counci... |
| Description | EPSRC Programme Grant |
| Amount | £3,400,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/K021966/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2013 |
| End | 09/2017 |
| Title | 1D silicon nitride grating refractive index sensor suitable for integration with CMOS detectors |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Title | Hybrid Amperometric and Potentiometric Sensing Based on a CMOS ISFET Array |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Title | Hybrid localized surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance sensor for label free biosensing |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Title | Immunoassay Multiplexing on a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Photodiode Array |
| Description | Images and data captured by the CMOS photodiode array and subsequent calculations as a result of immunoassay experiments. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Title | Plasmonic Gold Nanodiscs using Piezoelectric Substrate Birefringence for Liquid Sensing |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Title | Plasmonic sensor monolithically integrated with a CMOS photodiode |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Description | Leonardo (Diagnostics) |
| Organisation | Selex ES |
| Department | SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | regular meeting, project IAB, joint grant applications |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partnership, meetings, invitations to company, research collaboration, networking |
| Impact | Actively pursuing new EU funding opportunities. Strategic development ongoing. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Title | Licence(s) pending (Final Report data) |
| Description | we have designed a novel integrated circuit with an array of sensors for which we have obtained design rights. |
| IP Reference | |
| Protection | Copyrighted (e.g. software) |
| Year Protection Granted | 2016 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | We have not licenced the design to anyone, but aspects of the design are of interest to IHP, Germany. |
| Title | METABOLITE DETECTION APPARATUS AND CORRESPONDING DETECTION METHOD |
| Description | A CMOS-based chip having multiple sensing modalities that are able independently to detect multiple metabolites (for example cholesterol and glucose) present in a sample. In particular, the chip provides multiple sensing modalities capable of performing detection within the same physical test volume, i.e. the chip can simultaneously detect a plurality of chemical reactions occurring in the test volume, where each chemical reaction yields a result that is independently detectable. The chip may comprise an optical sensor (e.g. photodiode) and a chemical sensor (e.g. pH sensor, embodied as an ISFET). With this technique, multiple metabolites may be measured in real time using a small scale point-of-care device. |
| IP Reference | WO2018215553 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2018 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Collaboration with Leonardo and Maddison |
| Title | METABOLITE DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD OF DETECTING METABOLITES |
| Description | A CMOS-based chip having one or more sensing modalities that are able independently to detect multiple metabolites present in a biological sample. The multiple sensing modalities may be provided at different locations with respect to the chip, whereby the chip can simultaneously detect a plurality of metabolites by measuring behaviour of a test material in the different locations. The chip may utilise paper as a transport mechanism for the sample. The paper either conveys the sample to the different locations or itself provides discrete testing zones in which different metabolites can be independently detected. With this technique, multiple metabolites may be measured in real time using a small scale point-of-care device. |
| IP Reference | WO2018215554 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2018 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Collaboration with Leonardo and Maddison |
| Description | New Statesman Shakespeareomics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article outlining scientific approaches, especially using "omics" technology to learn about the life and work of William Shakespeare |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2016/01/shakespeareomics-how-scientists-are-unlocking-secr... |
| Description | Press announcement of major publication that received significant attention in the news media |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A Star Trek-inspired handheld device based on a silicon chip could help make rapid, sophisticated medical diagnostics more accessible to people around the world, scientists say. In a new paper published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, researchers from the University of Glasgow describe the latest development in their 'multicorder' project, inspired by Star Trek's famous tricorder device, which the show's medics use to make quick and accurate diagnoses. Multicorder Their new device, which pairs a handheld sensor with a smartphone app, measures the levels of various metabolites in fluid samples from patients. Metabolites are small molecules found in fluids from the human body. By measuring and monitoring their relative abundance, scientists can keep track of general heath or the progression of specific diseases. The ability to rapidly detect and quantify multiple metabolite biomarkers simultaneously makes this device particularly useful in cases of heart attack, cancer and stroke, where rapid diagnosis is vital for effective treatment. While metabolites can currently be measured by existing processes such as nuclear magnetic resonance and hyphenated mass spectrometry techniques, both approaches are expensive and require bulky equipment which can be slow to offer diagnostic results. The researchers' new device is built around a new form of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip. CMOS chips are inexpensive to produce and are often used in imaging devices. The chip is smaller than a fingertip and is divided into multiple reaction zones to detect and quantify four metabolites simultaneously from body fluid such as serum or urine. The device can be operated via any Android-based tablet or smartphone which provides data acquisition, computation, visualisation and power. Multicorder Dr Samadhan Patil of the University of Glasgow's School of Engineering is lead author on the paper. Dr Patil said: "We have been able to detect and measure multiple metabolites associated with myocardial infarction, or heart attack, and prostate cancer simultaneously using this device. This device has potential to track progression of the disease in its early phase and is ideally suited for the subsequent prognosis". Professor David Cumming, Principal Investigator of the project from University's School of Engineering said: "Handheld, inexpensive diagnostic devices capable of accurately measuring metabolites open up a wide range of applications for medicine, and with this latest development we've taken an important step closer to bringing such a device to market." "It's an exciting breakthrough and we're keen to continue building on the technology we've developed so far." Professor Mike Barrett of the University's School of Life Sciences, co-investigator of the project, said: "This new handheld device offers democratisation of metabolomics, which is otherwise confined within the laboratory, and offers low cost alternative to study complex pathways in different diseases". The paper, titled 'An integrated portable system for single chip simultaneous measurement of multiple disease associated metabolites', is published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The project was supported by funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2018/september/headline_613716_en.html |