BiopSys: NSERC Strategic Network for Bioplasmonic Systems

The aim of the NSERC Strategic Network for Bioplasmonic Systems (BiopSys) is to shorten the time needed for diagnosis and improve prognosis for cancers, such as lung cancer and leukemia, by incorporating plasmonics into diagnostic platforms. Plasmonics is an enabling technology based on an optical illumination technique. Bioplasmonics is technology based on this illumination for the sensitive detection of biological molecules, such as receptors on the surfaces of cells.Our objective is to develop better alternatives to current fluorescence methods for cell-surface receptor detection. Plasmonics offers significant opportunities for achieving this. We will use tiny metal particles as light beacons for the receptors, and nanostructured metal surfaces as sensitive transmitters of molecular binding events. We will first develop platforms for examining model biochemical systems and then develop diagnostic tools for cancer. Our first practical goal is to determine the presence of the lung cancer at an earlier stage than is currently possible, to improve prognosis. Our second practical goal is to provide a point-of-care device for detecting leukemia, which will greatly shorten the time needed for diagnosis.BiopSys will, for the first time in Canada, focus and integrate the full range of skills from the many different disciplines that are required to create these devices. The Network is poised to make revolutionary improvements in biomolecular interaction analysis, using the expertise of world-class physicists, chemists, biochemists, biomedical scientists, biologists, material scientists, and engineers based at university, industry and government research labs across the country. Our integration of molecular and optical technologies will enable the creation of both large-scale instruments that will permit faster screening and diagnosis and miniaturized point-of-care devices for patients. In addition, the network mechanism, with its emphasis on integration and cross-pollination, provides a significant training base; and our partnerships with industry will transition our creations to innovations of significant health and economic value to Canadians.