Micro-sensing device will be integrated with micro-batteries and signal/data processing system to achieve the task of the main project, molecular imprinting micro-sensing chip (MIMSC). In this subproject, micro-sensing device with high selectivity and low power consumption capability will be developed. This subproject will be divided into three items. The first item addresses the preparation and fabrication of the organic and inorganic molecular imprinting polymers. While, the formation, incorporation and extraction mechanisms will be investigated to improve the selectivity and stability of the MIP. The second item involves the fabrication of micro-sensing device by microfabrication technique. In this task, the ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) will be modified to be compatible with MIP for sensor applications. The third item deals with high selectivity microsensors for chemical species like C-reactive proteins (CRP), cholesterol, bilirubin, and morphine drugs. The sensing and aging mechanism of the developed sensor will be studied to improve their selectivity and long-term stability.

Among the target analytes CRP, cholesterol, bilirubin, and morphine, For example, CRP, a normal plasma protein, is synthesized in hepatocytes. It is usually considered to be an accurate early index of inflammation or disease activity by clinical doctors. CRP is a pentameric protein consisting of five non-covalently bonded identical subunits with an overall molecular weight of approximately 11,800 daltons. It is a very widely studied indicator for a variety of diseases, surgical conditions such as heart transplantation, infection, inflammation, and cancers. Cholesterol is the most abundant steroid in human, occurring both as free cholesterol and esterified with fatty acids. The assay of cholesterol is of great important in the diagnosis of heart disease. However, the measurement of CRP and cholesterol has not yet been done by the approach of molecular imprinting polymers. So far, there is literature reporting CRP or cholesterol sensor, but for MIP type of sensor, there is still none of them. The CRP and cholesterol MIP sensor array are potential micro-sensing device using as an indicator for prevention heart disease for diagnostic application such as on-spot test⁽¹⁾. Similarly, other compounds in blood needed to be determined, such as bilirubin or morphin can be analyzed by MIP micro-sensing device^(2,3).