The multiwelled microplate has long been a standard tool in biomedical research and diagnostic laboratories but could become a thing of the past, thanks to new electronic biosensing technology developed by a team of microelectronics engineers and biomedical scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Essentially arrays of tiny test tubes, microplates have been used for decades to simultaneously test multiple samples for their responses to chemicals, living organisms, or antibodies. Fluorescence or color changes in labels associated with compounds on the plates can signal the presence of particular proteins or gene sequences.

The researchers hope to replace these microplates with modern microelectronics technology, including disposable arrays containing thousands of electronic sensors connected to powerful signal processing circuitry. If they’re successful, this new electronic biosensing platform could help realize the dream of personalized medicine by making possible real-time disease diagnosis—potentially in a physician’s office—and by helping select individualized therapeutic approaches.

 …