Quartz Crystal Microbalance Induced Bond Rupture Sensing for Medical Diagnostics

Disease detection at the point of care could be performed using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) induced rupture of antibody-antigen bonds. An integrated digital solution for smart sensing is proposed where the QCM is driven and its resonant frequency change is captured as an indication of bond rupture. After reviewing the principle of QCM induced bond rupture, a digital transceiver system is designed and fabricated that integrates transmitter, receiver, amplification, and impedance matching. The system communicates with a PC and its functionalities are implemented in digital signal processor (DSP) software. A benchmark test using biotin and streptavidin bond is conducted and the encouraging results are given