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Low-power CMOS electronics coupled with synthetic biology and microfluidics for hybrid bioelectronic systems

Bioelectronics effectively bridges the gap between the biochemical and the electrical domains, integrating aspects of biology, electronics, physics, and material science to foster innovative solutions and impact the trajectory of human health and environmental science, by translating biological responses into electrical signals for advanced analysis. Despite its transformative potential, current bioelectronic systems face limitations in terms of scalability, sensitivity, and ease of integration. This thesis claims that co-designing Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits with highly specific and sensitive genetically engineered biosensors is pivotal in bioelectronics evolution, offering high accuracy, reliability, miniaturization, and multiplexed sensing capabilities essential for addressing challenges in healthcare, environmental monitoring, sustainable manufacturing, and beyond. To support this claim, this dissertation highlights two key contributions: a low-power ingestible sensor for gastrointestinal tract monitoring and a hybrid platform technology combining droplet microfluidics and CMOS electronics for impedance spectroscopy and luminescence sensing for rapid screening and optimization of biosensors under different environmental conditions.

The first contribution details an ingestible capsule that could transform healthcare diagnostics through a novel threshold-crossing-based detector and CMOS-integrated photodiodes. This innovation exemplifies how hybrid bioelectronic systems can significantly improve the precision and non-invasiveness of real-time health monitoring.

Moving beyond the traditional scope of bioelectronics and the sole purpose of health monitoring, the second contribution extends its application by integrating droplet microfluidics with CMOS chips, facilitating high-throughput droplet screening to optimize biosensor performance for application deployment. To achieve this goal, this platform is equipped with a low-noise, high-resolution CMOS impedance spectroscopy chip and a high-resolution CMOS luminescence detector chip.

In highlighting these contributions, the thesis reinforces the assertion that hybrid bioelectronic systems are key to addressing a wide range of societal challenges. Moreover, the integration of synthetic biology and microfluidics with CMOS technology, as demonstrated in this work, not only overcomes existing barriers, such as achieving miniaturization, high sensitivity, rapid data processing, and energy efficiency, but also paves the way for future innovations with extensive potential in personalized medicine and environmental sustainability. / 2026-01-17T00:00:00Z

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/47942
Date18 January 2024
CreatorsLiu, Qijun
ContributorsYazicigil, Rabia T.
Source SetsBoston University
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis/Dissertation

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