SBIR Phase I: BioTELL - A Novel Biosensor for Microbes

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将测试新的方法，以检测和区分相似的流感嗜血杆菌菌株。95%的儿童全身感染是由b型流感嗜血杆菌引起的，包括脑膜炎、败血症、会厌炎、肺炎和中耳炎。细菌性脑膜炎和会厌炎是致命的疾病，致死率在5%到25%之间。因此，需要一种能够在万亿分之一范围内检测特定流感嗜血杆菌菌株的实时传感器。任何新的检测设备都必须具有高灵敏度和高选择性、小型化、自诊断、低成本、响应时间快、不需要样品制备等特点。这个第一阶段项目提出了这样一种新的护理点检测设备，用于高灵敏地检测流感嗜血杆菌和其他细菌菌株。这种方法建立在橡树岭国家实验室最近进行的研究的基础上，使用微悬臂作为传感器平台。BioTELL传感器将由一系列微悬臂梁组成，其中一个表面由可接受流感嗜血杆菌抗原蛋白的抗体涂层衍生而成。该项目的商业应用将在生物传感器市场上检测流感嗜血杆菌和其他致病微生物。通过该项目开发的产品的主要客户预计将包括儿科医生、全科医生和消费者家庭。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will test new methods to detect and distinguish similar strains of the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae. Ninety-five percent of systemic infections in childhood are caused by H. influenzae strains of the serotype b. They include meningitis, sepsis, epiglottitis, pneumonia and otitis media. Bacterial meningitis and epiglottitis are life-threatening diseases with a lethality of five percent to twenty-five percent. Thus, a real-time sensor capable of detecting specific strains of H. influenzae in the parts-per-trillion range is needed. Any new detection device must be highly sensitive and selective, miniature, self-diagnostic, low cost, have rapid response time, and require no sample preparation. This Phase I project proposes such a novel point-of-care detection device for highly sensitive determination of H. influenzae and other bacteria strains. This approach builds on recent research conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using microcantilevers as sensor platforms. The BioTELL sensor will consist of an array of microcantilevers with one surface derivatized by an antibody coating receptive to H. influenzae antigens.The commercial applications of this project will be in the biosensor market for detection of H. influenzae and other disease causing microorganisms. The primary customers for products developed through this project are expected to include pediatricians, general practitioners and consumer households.