Toshiba develops new microparticle-based platform

Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Labs have developed a novel biosensor platform, which is expected to save businesses days of research time and lead to cost savings in drug discovery.

The new technology platform is capable of screening for multiple biomolecules, such as antibodies, in one instance whereas previously a series of array experiments needed to take place.

The time and cost savings that will result are expected to lead to the advancement the development of biomedical and other diagnostic systems, drug and biomarker discovery and ultimately personalised medicine, the concept of tailoring a patient’s treatment for a particular disease to his or her genetic makeup.

Traditionally, array manufacturers have sought to increase throughput by increasing the number of data points (spots) on their arrays. However, this does not take into consideration the number of actual array experiments that researchers need to carry out if different process conditions are required. The Toshiba system provides not only enough data points in each array, but delivers flexibility into the process to ensure only one experiment needs to be performed, as it can accommodate a wide range of process conditions.

Biosensor technology is widely used in pharmaceutical, medical and biotechnology research. The Toshiba development is aimed initially at laboratory-based biotechnology research, but is also expected to find applications in the fields of drug discovery and diagnostics and personalised medicine.

The unique and enhanced versatility of the Toshiba system derives from it being particle-based, rather than using a conventional fixed 2-dimensional molecular array on a single surface. Microparticles, each bearing a machine-readable code and a gold-coated nanometric optical grating, are produced in very large numbers via a low-cost, scalable fabrication process developed within the Cambridge Lab.

Each particle has a code-specific biomolecule immobilized on its surface. The code on any given particle then uniquely identifies a molecule when it is under test. The nanoscale grating allows simple optical probing of the interaction between biomolecules in solution with those immobilized on the surface.

A semi-automated reader system for the particles has also been developed, which is currently capable of measuring up to 50 particles in one single test. There is ample scope to fully automate the system and increase the throughput still higher, so that up to 1000 particles could be measured in a single test.

The platform has been developed in conjunction with the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. The institute’s director, Professor Christopher Lowe, said:

‘I am pleased to have been able to contribute to this Toshiba project. The technology is generic, relatively inexpensive per test and widely applicable to highly multiplexed analyses of diverse analytes. It should find substantial use in biomedical and other diagnostic systems, drug and biomarker discovery and, ultimately, in personalised medicine.’

Dr Carl Norman, principal research scientist at Toshiba Cambridge Research Labs, said: ‘Nanobiotechnology will play an increasingly significant role in driving the next generation of medical and pharmaceutical discovery. The flexibility of our new platform could help organizations significantly shorten their research cycles, and help cut time to market of medicines for a wide range of diseases.’