Student builds micro biosensor chip to move DNA molecules.

A Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, www.jhu.edu) undergraduate has constructed a new type of microchip that can move and isolate DNA and protein molecules. He believes that by linking the chip with analysis equipment, a user could identify medical ailments, monitor a patient's health or detect viruses and other biohazards before they spread.

Eric Simone, a senior biomedical engineering major, fabricated and tested the chip in the lab of Jeff Tza-Huei Wang. Simone devised a biosensor chip with an innovative circular electrode design, which performed more effectively in certain bio-analytical applications.

The chips take advantage of the natural negative charge possessed by DNA or a surface charge imposed on the molecules. A tiny drop of liquid containing the DNA is placed atop the chip. The electric field then guides the molecules to a designated area, where they can be analyzed under a microscope.

Results from Simone's work were included in a paper presented at the IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems held recently in The Netherlands.