The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has launched a joint project in partnership with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) to speed up biosensor development.
The $2m partnership development will focus on the detection of biomarkers for stress and fatigue.
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The study of stress biomarker presence in the body is one way to research the effects of stress. However, a sensor is required to detect such biomarkers.
The 711th Human Performance Wing expressed interest to design such sensors.
Project lead Dr Lawrence Drummy said: “This project has come out of a lot of in-house collaborative work between the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing that focuses on molecular recognition and real-time monitoring.
“Drug and vaccine studies look for molecular recognition elements, such as antibodies, for a given target.
“We want to use similar types of molecular recognition in sensors that can identify hormones and neurotransmitters for monitoring Airman stress and fatigue in real-time, while also demonstrating they work in real-world conditions.”
AFRL noted that a new type of biosensor, a graphene field effect transistor (FET), is employed to perform the sensing.
FET uses a molecular recognition element that the ‘target’ molecule will bind to.
As the target biomarkers are present in sweat and saliva, the sensing process is completely non-invasive.
The sensor will be designed to be incorporated into a wearable device such as a ‘fitness tracker’ for a long-term study.
The project is part of the AFRL-founded ‘Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC)’.
