SCIENION AG today announced that the Bionanomechanics Lab of the Madrid-based Microelectronics Institute is using Scienion’s sciFLEXARRAYER to produce ultrasensitive nanomechanical biosensors for genetic analysis in collaboration with the company Mecwins SL.
Dortmund and Berlin, Germany, February 4, 2013: Research at the Bionanomechanics Lab, which is part of the Microelectronics Institute of Madrid, is intended to advance basic and applied knowledge in nanotechnology and its application in the biomedical field.
The Bionanomechanics Lab is using the sciFLEXARRAYER to immobilize thiolated single stranded DNA onto gold-coated silicon microcantilevers. This produces a homogeneous self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on each cantilever. After incubating these cantilevers with complementary DNA sequences, hybridization results in a deflection (bending) of the cantilever that is in turn detected with an optonanomechanical read-out platform (SCALA). Present research focuses on the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Plans for the utilization of the sciFLEXARRAYER for a range of applications, such as lung cancer detection or for the production of protein cantilevers, are underway.
Dr. Holger Eickhoff, CEO of SCIENION AG, states: “Nanomechanical biosensors show an ever-improving sensitivity limit for the label-free detection of biomolecules. The Bionanomechanics Lab is a frontline innovator in biosensing nanotechnologies and has been setting standards in this field. This is reflected by an impressive number of scientific articles in renowned high impact journals. We are very excited that our sciFLEXARRAYER technology is used to advance the cutting-edge research of the group and thus contributing to the development of the next generation nanomechanical biosensors.”
Dr. Montserrat Calleja, Head of Dept. Devices, Sensors and Biosensors, Bionanomechanics Lab, Microelectronics Institute of Madrid, comments: “The Scienion spotter provides the needed flexibility to address cantilever sensors of almost any size and design. This is a promising technology for the functionalization of microcantilevers as it is fast, versatile and suitable for large-scale integration. This technique suits the need of high throughput functionalization of arrays of nanomechanical systems as the inkjet head does not contact the surface of the fragile devices.”
Products based on developments at the Bionanomechanics Lab, such as the SCALA detection device and also upcoming label-free kits for DNA hybridization detection, are commercialized by Mecwins S.L., that holds licence of three patents from the Bionanomechanics research.

About SCIENION AG
SCIENION AG and its US subsidiary SCIENION US, Inc. provide systems and services for the contact-free printing of biological and chemical agents for diagnostics, pharmaceutics, veterinary, plant and food analytics and research. Addressing the dynamically increasing needs for miniaturization and multiplex analyses, SCIENION offers a unique technology portfolio that has been continuously expanded over one decade. SCIENION provides flexible solutions for research and development whereas solutions for production purposes are rather customized. Systems and software are characterized by their versatility, precision and robustness. The company is a renowned specialist for ultra low volume liquid handling, particularly for the handling of precious and sensitive compounds of biological or chemical origin. SCIENION’s dispensers allow for contact-free and precise drop spotting in the pico- to micro-liter range and are optimally suited for microarray based analytics – such as for tests with DNA, oligonucleotides, peptides, proteins, antibodies, glycans or for dispensing cells onto various substrates. The company operates from two sites in Germany, Dortmund and Berlin, and has a subsidiary in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
For more information, visit www.scienion.com.

About the Bionanomechanics Lab of the Microelectronics Institute of Madrid
The Bionanomechanics Lab was established as part of the Microelectronics Institute of Madrid in 2005 with the aim of developing novel analytical tools based in nanotechnology for biological applications and with a focus in nanomechanical sensing. The work performed by the group is highly multidisciplinary and includes the design and fabrication of micro- and nanomechanical structures, advanced optical instrumentation for nanomechanical characterization, theoretical modeling and finite elements simulations in the field of biological/surface interactions, nanomechanical systems and nanooptics.
The Microelectronics Institute of Madrid (IMM-CNM-CSIC) is a non-profit R&D Institute belonging to the Spanish Council for Research (CSIC). CSIC is one of the major scientific players in Spain and produces 50% of most prestigious scientific publications and 47% of patents from public entities in Spain. The CNM-CSIC priority is strengthening the microelectronics and nanotechnologies capabilities in Spain by means of R&D aimed at the design and fabrication of integrated circuits, electronic devices and related materials, nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and nanodevices; providing also technological support for industry and universities.