Project Reference: TRG27-ENG-SS3

Project title: Ingestible CMOS Optical Biosensors Interfacing with Engineered Living Cells

Project outline

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains a rich spectrum of biomarkers, including metabolites, gases, proteins, nucleic acids and microbiota, that provide valuable information about human health and disease. However, continuously measuring many of these biomarkers in situ remains challenging because conventional electronic and electrochemical sensors have limited capability to selectively detect the enormous diversity of molecules present within the gut.

This project will develop a new class of ingestible optical biosensors that directly interface engineered living cells with CMOS integrated circuits. Genetically engineered bacterial cells will serve as highly selective biological sensors: recognition of a target biomarker will activate fluorescent or luminescent reporter proteins, converting biochemical information into an optical signal. A miniaturized CMOS chip positioned beneath the cellular biosensor will detect and quantify this weak optical output using integrated photodetectors, wavelength-selective optical structures and ultra-low-noise readout electronics. A semi-permeable biomaterial interface will enable interaction between the engineered cells and the GI environment while physically integrating the biological and electronic components. 

The research will investigate the complete biology-to-photon-to-electron sensing chain, from cellular reporter response through optical detection, low-noise signal acquisition and computational interpretation. Ultimately, these components will be integrated into a miniaturized wireless platform suitable for future ingestible sensing applications.

By combining the molecular selectivity of synthetic biology with the miniaturization and signal-processing capabilities of CMOS, the project seeks to establish a fundamentally new paradigm for continuous biochemical sensing inside the body.

Principal Supervisor

Professor Saransh Sharma

Email address: ss3442@cam.ac.uk

Department / Partner Institute: Engineering

Website: https://elec.eng.cam.ac.uk/team/dr-saransh-sharma/

BBSRC strategic theme

Bioscience for an integrated understanding of health