AKHAN Leverages Nanomaterials Knowhow to Aid in COVID-19 Fight

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AKHAN Semiconductor, a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of lab-grown, electronic-grade diamond, today announced new major patent filings with the United States Patent & Trademarks Office (USPTO) to apply its Miraj Diamond® nanocarbon materials technology for Biosensing Field Effect Transistor (Bio-FET) applications in virus detection. By taking its core capabilities in manufacturing and design of nanocarbon materials for optics and semiconductor electronics systems, AKHAN will leverage its expertise and fabrication capabilities to alleviate the existing bottleneck in Bio-FET device systems. Utilizing breakthrough materials initially developed for protective coatings of optical sensor/detector systems in Army aviation, AKHAN can address the sensitivity, speed, cost, and manufacturing scalability associated with presently available materials.

Presently, there is an urgent, unprecedented, and unmet demand for rapid, sensitive, specific, and low-cost diagnosis of viral antigens such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Bio-FET devices based on direct virus immobilization on nanomaterials and two-dimensional sensor materials have already been demonstrated as an attractive next-generation platform for highly selective and ultra-sensitive detection of specific proteins and DNA sequences. Since AKHAN’s proprietary graphene and nanocrystalline diamond materials have been optimized for optical and electronic device application, their targeted use in biosensor applications is particularly attractive, owing to the material’s superior electronic properties, biocompatibility, and chemical resistance in ultrathin profiles.

“The sample time of the current systems utilized for COVID-19 testing are on the order of 5 to 15 minutes, where Bio-FET devices for the detection of SARS, Ebola, and Rota Virus have already been utilized with sample times on the order of a few seconds” said Adam Khan, CEO and Founder of AKHAN. “The major limitations of these Bio-FET systems have been the sensitivity of device structures and the large-scale manufacturability of the semiconductor materials utilized. As the global leader in diamond semiconductor, AKHAN is uniquely positioned to alleviate these constraints.”

“With real-time results monitored through low-cost meters, our Bio-FET concept can be calibrated for this and other virus targets in both gas and liquid suspensions, focusing on end applications in point of care and environmental/enclosed room monitoring,” said Carl Shurboff, President and COO of AKHAN Semiconductor. “With our cleanroom facility operational, we are capable of rapidly prototyping and developing this technology platform.”

Since its inception, AKHAN has had great success demonstrating breakthrough solutions to customer pain points in military, defense, and consumer electronics applications. In an effort to rapidly develop and proliferate its technology globally, AKHAN is exploring partnerships with researchers and businesses working on biosensor applications for diagnostic systems targeting SARS-CoV-2.

About AKHAN

AKHAN is a technology company specializing in the fabrication and application of electronics-grade diamonds as functional semiconductors. AKHAN is headquartered in Gurnee, Lake County, Illinois. Additional information about AKHAN is available on the Company's website at http://www.akhansemi.com/.