A reconfigurable architecture for immunodiagnostics using biosensors

摘要

This work describes the development of a reconfigurable hardware/software architecture for biosensors data acquisition. This approach provides a suitable codesign environment for testing of different biosensors interfaces and their data processing. Due the flexibility of the hardware component, a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), individual cores for each specific type of biosensor kept in a library may be easily adapted, depending on the new biological analysis. The FPGA, responsible for the signals acquisition can be dynamically reconfigured. The software component, a microcontroller, manages the FPGA configuration, communication process with the host and stores data from FPGA. The results of the analysis is sent to a supervisory system, installed in a host (PC). A case study has been developed to determine humoral response against Streptococcus pneumonia (the most frequent bacterial agent of pneumonia) after vaccination, based on a quartz crystal microbalance approach. A prototype, in vitro, have been developed and it is in test. Good results have been reached. A codesign case study is presented in this work.