STTR Phase I: Development of Aptamer-ssDNA Intelligent Hydrogel Materials for Magnetoelastic Detection of Avian Influenza Virus

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。这项小型企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目是合成一种智能聚合物水凝胶，并开发一种无线、远程和灵敏的磁弹性传感器，用于快速检测禽流感（AI）病毒。高致病性禽流感H5N1病毒株每年造成数百人死亡和数十亿美元的经济损失。迫切需要早期识别和根除人工智能病毒的高灵敏度技术。由于单链DNA和适体之间的交联以及聚合物网络中链接的溶解，预计所提出的智能材料在没有和存在AI病毒的情况下会收缩和膨胀。利用无线磁弹性质量传感器平台，可以灵敏地监测AI病毒对水凝胶的收缩和膨胀。这项研究的更广泛影响是在生物、农业、医学和环境领域开发用于快速诊断的新型生物传感材料。将ssDNA和适体引入到聚合物结构中，为合成病毒反应材料开辟了一条新途径。此外，拟议的项目是改进流感诊断技术，防止禽流感在禽群之间或人群中传播。这项研究的成功成果将为家禽和食品工业带来直接的经济效益，促进诊断技术的发展，并改善人类健康。该方法有望为禽流感、人流感和猪流感的鉴定和检测提供一种快速、低成本、高灵敏度和可靠的解决方案。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to synthesize an intelligent polymer hydrogel, and to develop a wireless, remote and sensitive magnetoelastic sensor for rapid detection of avian influenza (AI) virus. The highly pathogenic AI strain H5N1 virus has caused hundreds of human deaths and billion dollars of economic loss per year. High sensitive techniques for early identification and eradication of AI viruses are urgently needed. The proposed smart material is expected to shrink and swell in the absence and presence of AI virus due to the crosslinking between single stranded DNA and aptamers and dissolution of the linkage in the polymer network. The shrinking and swelling of the hydrogel upon AI virus could be sensitively monitored with a wireless magnetoelastic mass-based sensor platform.The broader impacts of this research are on the development of new biosensing materials for rapid diagnostics in the fields of biology, agriculture, medicine and environment. It will open a new way to synthesize virus-responsive materials by introducing ssDNA and aptamers into polymer structures. Moreover, the proposed project is to improve influenza diagnostic technologies and to prevent avian influenza from spread between flocks or into the human population. The successful outcome of this research should provide direct economic benefits to poultry and food industries, promote diagnostic technologies, and improve human health. This proposed method has the potential to provide a rapid, low-cost, high sensitive and reliable solution for identification and detection of avian influenza as well as human and swine influenza.