Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Compatible Silicon Nanowires-on-a-Chip: Fabrication and Preclinical Validation for the Detection of a Cancer Prognostic Protein Marker in Serum

An integrated translational biosensing technology based on arrays of silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (SiNW FETs) is described and has been preclinically validated for the ultrasensitive detection of the cancer biomarker ALCAM in serum. High-quality SiNW arrays have been rationally designed toward their implementation as molecular biosensors. The FET sensing platform has been fabricated using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible process. Reliable and reproducible electrical performance has been demonstrated via electrical characterization using a custom-designed portable readout device. Using this platform, the cancer prognostic marker ALCAM could be detected in serum with a detection limit of 15.5 pg/mL. Importantly, the detection could be completed in less than 30 min and span a wide dynamic detection range (similar to 10 (5)). The SiNW-on-a-chip biosensing technology paves the way to the translational clinical application of FET in the detection of cancer protein markers.