DeTectUs, a team of ten DTU students will enter the SensUs competition 2018 in Eindhoven in September with their newly developed biosensing system for detection of vancomycin.
Vancomycin is a last-resort antibiotic, which means that if it does not work, there are no other possibilities left for the patient. Therefore, it is very important that the drug is used as efficiently and effectively as possible to avoid antibiotic resistance – in that connection exact measuring plays a vital role.
The challenge that the student teams has to solve, is to develop a sensor that can detect vancomycin. In addition, they have to prepare 1) a general pitch about their sensor, 2) a more detailed technical pitch, and 3) a translational pitch with a business plan for the sensor.
The DeTectUs sensor is based on an electrical chip, where the surface of the chip is functionalized to detect vancomycin in a blood plasma sample. The team has also spent energy and resources on making the chip easy to handle by including a chamber, which stabilizes the chip, and minimizes the amount of sample material needed for detection. The results from the measurement is shown on a local display and are also sent to a smart phone app for continuous logging and subsequent data processing.
The team is working around the clock these days to finish the sensor itself and also to prepare and refine the pitches. “Even though it is hard work it is also a lot of fun”, Kitty Steenberg says, and she adds that it is a great experience to work as a team with other people, who each have their responsibilities. “I imagine that it is like in an actual company, where you are depending on your colleagues to finish their tasks in order to have a successful product in the end”, she finishes.
The team consists of students from different DTU study lines including Physics and Nanotechnology. DTU Nanotech Faculty support and coach the team.
On September 7-8, you can follow the competition live online, and vote for your favorite team to help them win the audience prize. Follow the team on Facebook: “DetectUs – The DTU SensUs Team”
Kitty Steenberg and Stine Løvholt G. Pedersen in the lab (Photo by Jesper Scheel)