Archer implements early stage biochip platform prototype

Quantum computing chip developer Archer Materials has announced it has implemented an early-stage prototype of an integrated biochip platform with automated liquid sampling and data readout.

The Sydney company said the work was a major step towards the company’s ambition of commercialising a biochip – an engineered substrate capable of detecting multiple of biologically relevant target fluids (multiplexing).

The company told investors: “Archer’s biochip innovation aims to integrate graphene field effect transistors (gFRTs) into advanced fluidic systems to create miniaturised lab-on-chip device platforms to potentially enable multiplexing.

“Archer has made significant technological progress over the last year that fundamentally link to the development of a prototype biochip technology system platform, recently designing and fabricating an operational liquid-gated gFET, that is a wettable transistor.”

Archer CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair said the development had potential for commercial or applied research applications.

Dr Choucair said: “The system will allow the Archer team to accurately, reliably reproducibly and quickly obtain data related to the company’s biochip devices, which is importantly required to establish commercial partnerships with global companies organising around the high-growth biosensing and diagnosis market.”

In the platform (pictured) a fluid sample is pipetted onto the active sensing site using a programmable robot, allowing the electronic properties of the fluid sample to be tested and analysed. The results can then be electronically be read out on a computer.

Archer will now use the platform to perform tests and device optimisation.

“The system platform setup is a powerful tool in advancing Archer’s biochip development.”

Picture: Archer Materials