AIR: Rapid Label-Free Single Virus Detection Platform for Multi-Pathogen Diagnostics

传染性病原体的快速检测和监测是医学和生物防御界尚未解决的挑战。 在护理点（POC）缺乏快速和准确的诊断导致了对新开发的药物的管理不善，通过耐药病原体的出现使它们无效。 PI建议开发一种原型仪器，不需要高技能的技术人员进行POC设置。在开发可现场部署的功能原型时将解决的问题包括：（1）照明均匀性的优化，（2）自动聚焦到样品上，以及（3）设置的机械稳定性。该仪器将与成熟的样品制备技术相结合，并在台式平台上进行评估。该原型的成功开发和推出将大大提高疾病诊断的速度，加快治疗方案的选择，并最终以更低的医疗保健系统成本为患者提供更好的治疗效果。所提出的系统的简单性和易用性预示着该技术在护理点环境中的使用以及在发展中国家提供更好的医疗保健。在拟议的工作中，利用经验丰富的企业家和高管的行业参与和指导，将通过提供一个培养专业精神的环境和一个有才华的工程师和科学家到行业的平行管道，增强本科和研究生的教育经验。高管导师计划与波士顿商界的紧密联系也通过推出新业务和创造就业机会为该地区的经济发展做出了贡献。

Rapid detection and surveillance of infectious agents is an unsolved challenge in the medical and biodefense communities. The lack of rapid and accurate diagnostics at the point of care (POC) has led to mismanagement of the newly developed drugs rendering them ineffective through the emergence of drug resistant pathogens. The PI proposes the development of a prototype instrument that does not require highly skilled technicians for POC settings. Issues which will be addressed in the development of the functioning field-deployable prototype include: (1) optimization of the illumination uniformity, (2) auto-focusing onto the sample, and (3) mechanical stability of the setup. The proposed instrument will be integrated with proven sample preparation techniques and evaluated against the bench top platform.Successful development and launch of the proposed prototype will drastically improve the speed of disease diagnosis, expedite treatment options and ultimately produce better patient outcomes at a lower cost to the healthcare system. The simplicity and ease-of-use of the proposed system augurs well for the use of the technology in point-of-care settings and in providing improved healthcare in developing countries. In the proposed work, the industry participation and mentorship utilizing experienced entrepreneurs and executives will enhance the undergraduate and graduate educational experience by providing an environment for fostering entrepreneurialism and a parallel pipeline for talented engineers and scientist to industry. The strong ties of the executive mentorship program to the Boston business community also contributes to the economic development of the region by launching new businesses and job creation.