IBEC Seminar: Carlo A. Bortolotti

Monitoring biorecognition with organic bioelectronic transistors

Electrolyte-gated OFETs (EGOFETs) and Organic Electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are emerging as an important class of chemo- and biosensors to meet the main requirements of healthcare diagnostics: portability, manufacturing with low cost, miniaturization, low-temperature processing. These devices can be operated either in accumulation (EGOFETs) or in depletion mode (OECTs). Devices that allow transduction of protein/protein interactions can be used not only for analytical purposes, but also for real time monitoring of surface adsorption and recognition events, and may therefore provide insights into both the kinetics and thermodynamics of biomolecular interactions. These devices provide a real-time, label-free response and the ultra-low sensitivity arising from the capacitive coupling between the electrolyte solution and the channel. We are currently investigating a wide range of biorecognition events, differing in terms of size of the surface bound biomolecule and of the chemical nature and lateral dimensions of the biological partner in solution, ranging from receptor/ligand interactions to antibody/antigene (protein) and antibody/virus couples. I will present a few examples of the EGOFET-based and OECT-based detection of detection of biorecognition events. Different surface functionalization strategies, aiming at reducing non-specific binding, increasing sensitivity and ensuring re-usability of the electrodes with immobilized sensing units will be described. I will also present our latest achievements in the development of a multigate lab-on-a-chip device, aiming at the multiplexed detection of different analytes in a biological fluid, also including an internal reference electrode.

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