Development of a Piezoelectric Biosensor for Disease Diagnosis

The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is a device highly sensitive to the small mass variations that occur on its surface. A biosensor can be defined as an analytical device in which a biological receptor is immobilized on the surface of a transducer; when a target analyte is recognized by the biological receptor, the biochemical interaction is directly converted by the transducer into a quantifiable signal. Biosensors have been adapted to multiple applications: determination of viruses, bacteria, pesticides, gases and, in general, any particle against which specific receptors can be designed. QCMs as biosensors are part of a monitoring technique that is fast, low cost, highly reproducible and offers low detection limits for the substance of interest. The present research project proposes to develop a biosensor for the determination of biochemical or molecular markers for the evaluation of ocular health. This proposal is based on the integration of design, simulation, fabrication and characterization of a piezoelectric biosensor for disease diagnosis. The execution of the work plan through which the project will be carried out will allow the development of diagnostic tools that will contribute to the prediction of disease progression and to the design of specific therapeutic strategies. **Keywords (original):** biosensor, quartz crystal microbalance, biomolecules, microelectronics, electronic and 3D prototyping.