The prevailing philosophy in biological testing has been to focus on simple tests with easy to interpret information such as ELISA or lateral flow assays. At the same time, there has been a decades long understanding in device physics and nanotechnology that electrical approaches have the potential to drastically improve the quality, speed, and cost of biological testing provided that computational resources are available to analyze the resulting complex data. This concept can be conceived of as “the internet of biology” in the same way miniaturized electronic sensors have enabled “the internet of things.” It is well established in the nanotechnology literature that techniques such as field effect biosensing are capable of rapid and flexible biological testing. Access to this technology opens the door for rapid deployment of nanoelectronic sensors outside the research space. The low power and reagent usage of these biosensors enables biotech engineers to gain immediate control over precise biological and environmental data.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand how commercialization and general availability of nanoelectronics is changing the cost, speed, and location of biological testing.
2. Understand the current state of availability and usability of digital biosensors in research and clinical environments.