Moudgil, Akshay

We have presented real-time and label-free CYFRA 21–1 detection in artificial saliva using a tungsten oxide (WO3) thin film transistor with wafer scale batch fabrication. In this work, we developed a miniaturized (FET) biosensing platform based on antibody-antigen interaction at the channel surface for real-time CYFRA 21–1 detection in artificial saliva. The fabricated FET device showed rapid and high response towards the CYFRA 21–1 antigen in artificial saliva, with the highest response of 122.88 at 1 pg/mL and a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.26 pg/mL. This device demonstrated the detection capability of different CYFRA 21–1 concentrations in artificial saliva with high specificity towards the targeted antigen to detect oral cancer biomarker and a response in real-time. Unlike other methods for oral cancer detection, this study demonstrates an innovative biosensing device platform for directly detecting oral cancer biomarkers in saliva without labeling or pre-processing the sample. This method shows the highest sensitivity with a minimum sample volume requirement (2 µL) for early-stage oral cancer diagnosis. Moreover, this work showed the prospect of batch fabrication and uniformity among batch-fabricated devices.

The dissemination of sensors is key to realizing a sustainable, ‘intelligent’ world, where everyday objects and environments are equipped with sensing capabilities to advance the sustainability and quality of our lives—e.g. via smart homes, smart cities, smart healthcare, smart logistics, Industry 4.0, and precision agriculture. The realization of the full potential of these applications critically depends on the availability of easy-to-make, low-cost sensor technologies. Sensors based on printable electronic materials offer the ideal platform: they can be fabricated through simple methods (e.g. printing and coating) and are compatible with high-throughput roll-to-roll processing. Moreover, printable electronic materials often allow the fabrication of sensors on flexible/stretchable/biodegradable substrates, thereby enabling the deployment of sensors in unconventional settings. Fulfilling the promise of printable electronic materials for sensing will require materials and device innovations to enhance their ability to transduce external stimuli—light, ionizing radiation, pressure, strain, force, temperature, gas, vapours, humidity, and other chemical and biological analytes. This Roadmap brings together the viewpoints of experts in various printable sensing materials—and devices thereof—to provide insights into the status and outlook of the field. Alongside recent materials and device innovations, the roadmap discusses the key outstanding challenges pertaining to each printable sensing technology. Finally, the Roadmap points to promising directions to overcome these challenges and thus enable ubiquitous sensing for a sustainable, ‘intelligent’ world.