Research continues at Intel to create fundamental advances in sensor technology and to make it possible to use chips to diagnose disease and improve people’s health.
Overview
The goal of Intel’s research in the biomedical area is to combine Intel’s nanotechnologies with aspects of biology and medicine to make it possible to use chips in fundamentally new ways. As we enter the era of proactive computing, distributed sensor networks throughout our environment will take actions on our behalf to improve the way that we live and work. Intel seeks to create fundamental advances in sensor technology, and to work together with the medical community to make it possible to use chips to diagnose disease and improve people’s health.
As Intel continues to drive Moore’s law towards ever smaller dimensions, silicon technology has advanced to the stage where devices operate on a scale that is comparable in size to individual biological molecules. Virtually every optical or electronic device that Intel builds is affected by the presence of biological molecules in their vicinity. For example, when a biological molecule moves past a transistor, its charge can turn the transistor ”on.” Similarly, when a molecule enters a laser beam, such as those commonly used for optical communications, the molecule can be made to emit light or to vibrate in ways that uniquely identify it. If we can arrange for biological molecules—perhaps taken from a patient’s blood sample—to “march” single file across a chip, arrays of Intel’s devices will be able to learn something about the molecules as they go by.
This builds upon a rich set of analytical chemistry capabilities within Intel. Intel operates one of the world’s most advanced networks of analytical chemistry laboratories, to detect trace chemical contaminants in our factories. In addition to being well equipped with the best commercially available chemical analysis tools, this network of analytical labs custom-develops very sensitive chemical analysis instruments for internal use. By combining this chemical analysis expertise with Intel’s nanoscale electronic and optical components, Intel seeks to create exquisitely sensitive biomolecular analytical systems for applications such as disease detection, diagnosis, and prognosis.
One product of this effort is the powerful Intel® Integrated Raman Bioanalyzer System - a unique laser microscope developed by Intel to help biologists and medical doctors detect disease and improve human health. The Bioanalyzer uses instrumentation originally created by Intel to analyze chemical trace elements and nano-scale features related to the production of microprocessors.
This system combines a microscope with a Raman spectrometer to detect and identify molecules. When a powerful laser beam shines on an object, most of the light scatters, but a small proportion interacts with molecules in the substance. This interaction forms a spectrum detectable by the Raman spectrometer. Every substance has a unique chemical composition and therefore produces a unique Raman fingerprint spectrum-the equivalent of a chemical bar-code tag.
Intel and researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently announced a joint effort to develop improved methods for diagnosing cancer. To launch the effort, Intel is building an Intel® Integrated Raman Bioanalyzer System at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center located in Seattle, Washington. The instrument beams lasers onto tiny medical samples, such as blood serum, to create images that reveal the chemical structure of molecules. The goal is to determine if this technology, previously used to detect microscopic imperfections on silicon chips, can also detect subtle traces of disease.
Hydrodynamic Focusing
Intel presented results at the Nanotech 2002 conference, describing a novel technique called “Three-dimensional (3-D) Hydrodynamic Focusing.” This technique permits fluid flow to be carefully shaped and positioned within a microfluidic channel on a chips.
3-D focusing: Cross-sectional view of microfluidic channel. The fluid would flow out of the paper, towards the reader. This technique permits molecules to be "lined-up" and transported to a molecular analyzer on a chip
One of the challenges in transporting biological fluids on chips is that the biological materials tend to “stick” to the sides of the microfluidic channels. The key idea behind 3-D focusing, illustrated below, is to create a virtual microfluidic channel by surrounding the “sticky” biological fluid with a buffer fluid, such as water, using carefully shaped channels. The buffer flow prevents the fluid being transported from contacting the walls of the channel. It also permits the biological molecules to be precisely positioned in three dimensions within the channel, to move them past a molecular analyzer.
Implementing 3-D focusing using planar mass production manufacturing techniques requires use of clever geometries. In the implementation illustrated above, multiple smaller 'focusing' flows come together to 'squeeze' the molecules being transported towrards the center of the channel.
People
General Manager: Andrew A. Berlin, Ph.D.
Dr. Berlin is a General Manager of Biomedical and Life Sciences Department in Digital Health Group. Berlin is one of the pioneers of the field of Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). His research interests lie in creating novel applications of large-scale networks of sensors and actuators, by bridging technologies from multiple disciplines.
Dr. Berlin has served as a member of the Governing Council of the MEMS Industry Group, as a member of the Department of Defense Information Science and Technology advisory group, and on a variety of program committees and scientific advisory panels in both the biotech and electrical engineering disciplines. Berlin holds 27 US patents as well as dozens of international patents. He has authored numerous technical conference and journal papers. Prior to joining Intel, Berlin co-founded the Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) group at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Berlin holds Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
