Electronic detection of selective proteins using non antibody-based CMOS chip

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology has enabled fabrication at nanoscale. We have fabricated 500 nm spaced metal electrodes on silicon chips to selectively capture and detect R2Bm protein molecules. The protein is captured using a dsDNA chemically attached on the SiO₂ surface between the electrodes. Surface functionalization and protein-DNA interaction is characterized for specific binding and direct current (DC) measurements are performed as proof of principle of the new modality. Electronic recognition of proteins using nucleic acids can enable more robust detection of a number of important biomarkers. We term such electronics platform for specific protein detection with non-antibody means as proteonic biochip. Current-voltage measurements show more than two order decrease of resistance between electrodes due to the capture of the protein.