Design of MEMS Biosensor for Pathogenic Bacterial Disease Detection

Abstract

In situations of a critical disease outbreak, any time delay in identifying the pathogen can prove to be risky and has its far-reaching effects on public health systems. There is a need for pathogenic bacteria detection at the point‐of‐care (POC) using a fast, sensitive, inexpensive, and easy‐to‐use method that does not require complex infrastructure and well‐trained technicians. For instance, detection of pneumonia, tuberculosis at acute infection stage has been challenging, since current antibody‐based POC technologies are not effective due to low concentration of antibodies. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time a label‐free electrical sensing method that can detect pathogenic bacteria, through MEMS cantilever technology. The presented method offers a rapid and portable tool that is MEMS biosensor, can be used as a bacteria detection technology at the hospital and primary care settings.