IBM nanoDLD chip (Laboratory on the chip for filtering of biological particles on a nanolevel)

On August 12, 2016 it was announced that scientists of IBM developed the first "laboratory on the chip" (a microsystem of the complete analysis) capable to filter biological particles on a nanolevel. It is expected that it will allow doctors to diagnose such diseases as cancer, before emergence of the first symptoms in the patient.

Technology purpose

As reported the Nature Nanotechnology magazine, the command of IBM managed to filter bioparticles up to 20 nanometers in size (nanometer) in the diameter which include also such important particles as DNA, viruses and exosomes. The analysis of the selected particles should help doctors to reveal symptoms of diseases before emergence of physical symptoms when chances of the successful result of treatment are highest. Still similar technologies could catch only objects 50 times larger, for example, to separate the circulating tumor cells from other biological components.

IBM is engaged in development of new technology jointly with School of medicine Icahn on Mount Sinai and is going to test it at diagnosis of a prostate cancer, most widespread cancer disease among the American men.

During an era of precision medicine of exosome are considered as useful biomarkers at diagnostics and forecasting of malignant tumors. Exosomes contain in readily available liquids of an organism, for example, in blood, saliva or urine. They are the valuable biomedical tool as they can be used at a noninvasive liquid biopsy, and thus to study origins and the nature of cancer.

When developing "laboratory on the chip" scientists of IBM were guided by exosomes as the existing systems cannot filter these microparticles from liquid biopsies. Exosomes which size varies from 20 to 140 nanometers contain information on viability of that cage from which they were taken. The data on the size transferred by exosomes, surface proteins and nucleinic acid can indicate existence and extent of development of cancer and other diseases.

The program of IBM about exosomes in liquid biopsies

Experiments of IBM showed that exosomes from 100 nanometers in size can be separated from smaller exosomes and that this department can occur despite diffusion, characteristic property of dynamics of particles at such small scale. Jointly with School of medicine Icahn on Mount Sinai is going to prove IBM that the new technology is capable to take from liquid biopsies of the patient of exosome, the containing specific biomarkers of cancer.

"Capability sort and fill up biomarkers on a nanolevel using "laboratories on the chip" opens a way to understanding of the nature of such diseases as cancer and viral infections, for example, flu or a Zika virus, – Gustavo Stolovitscy, the program manager of transmitting system biology and nanobiotechnology of IBM Research told. – The additional stock of time will allow doctors to make more reasoned decisions at early stages of a disease when treatment is most effective".

Using technology of IBM and capability to sort bioparticles on a nanolevel, the School of medicine Icahn hopes to read out information which is contained in exosomes and the employee for intercellular interaction. It will help to clear important issues of biology of diseases and also will open a way to application noninvasive and, therefore, available even in house conditions of instruments of diagnostics. Regular monitoring of intercellular processes will allow physicians to monitor the individual state of health of the patient or development of a disease.

"When we advance a disease, we not bad cope with it. When the disease ahead of us, treatment is much more difficult. One of the most important achievements of our cooperation with IBM is creation of base for identification of certain statuses of exosomes. They can be detected before the first symptoms appear or the disease will begin to progress, – Carlos Kordon-Kardo, the doctor of medical sciences, the president of department of pathology of Mount Sinai Health System and professor of pathology, genetics and genomic sciences and oncological sciences at School of medicine Icahn told. – Examination of School Icahn in the field of cancer and pathology and also knowledge of IBM in the field of system biology and the newest technology of filtering on a nanolevel will help us in search of specific sensitive biomarkers with exosomes. Thanks to it we will be able to reveal cancer at early stages and to understand, properly to treat it".

Filtering of bioparticles on a nanolevel

The technology of "laboratory on the chip" helps doctors, allowing much quicker, more simply and easier to diagnose diseases, without requiring at the same time the large volume of test. Further it is going to create the uniform silicon chip where all necessary tools for the analysis of a disease will be built-in. It will be able to replace full-fledged biochemical laboratory.

Art representation of nano-DLD technology

Using technology of the nanodimensional determined side shift (nano-DLD), scientists of IBM Joshua Smith and Benjamin Vunsh developed technology of "laboratory on the chip" which passes a liquid sample via the silicon chip containing an asymmetric array of rods. These rods sort microscopic flows of nanoparticles, delaying objects up to tens nanometers in size. Already created IBM chip has the size of 2x2 cm, however scientists are going to increase density and by that to increase functionality and performance of new technology.

Just as on the road through a tunnel only passenger cars can pass, and trucks need to go to a detour, a set of the rods nano-DLD filters a particle flux, passing the smallest objects through openings and delaying larger, without stopping the general flow. Besides, scientists of IBM noticed that nano-DLD filters can also distribute an array of particles of the different sizes on separate flows just as the prism separates light into different colors. Unlike the traditional systems the new technology filters particles, without interrupting their movement.

Thanks to wide experience of IBM in the field of semiconductors and to its growing opportunities in the field of experimental biology, researchers developed the rods nano-DLD for "laboratory on the chip" on the basis of technological processes using silicon. Within the current strategy scientists of IBM are going to expand number of bioparticles which can be filtered using technology. Researchers are also going to improve the accuracy and specific characteristics for application in applied medicine.