This research project is the investigation of electronic-based point-of-care (POC) tools for disease diagnosis based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Among different sensing mechanism, NMR stands out as a trail-blazing option since it is versatile and low-cost as it is label- and washing-free for the samples, and immobilization-free for the electrodes. Yet, conventional benchtop NMR tools are costly, bulky, time-consuming, and require trained technicians for operation, which confound their usages in centralized laboratory. We proposed to use CMOS IC and Digital Microluidic technique to streamline and facilitate the NMR experiment. It overcomes miniaturization and allows low-cost and rapid detection of specific targets in tiny fluid samples. Two prototypes have been developed. 1) Integration of CMOS NMR IC with Digital Microfluidic device to pipeline and automate multiple samples within single experiment to enhance the throughput of the platform (Details: JSSC'16 and A-SSCC'15). 2) Integration of Hall sensor on the CMOS IC to tackle the magnetic field variation issue of the portable magnet (Details: JSSC'17 and ISSCC'16).
Video about the 1st prototype:
Video about the 2nd prototype: