Rapid, Selective, Onsite Detection of Bacterial Pathogens Using A Bioinspired Microfluidic Sensor

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The objective of this research is to create a high-throughput microfluidic biosensor for rapid, onsite, highly-selective detection of a variety of food and water borne bacterial pathogens. The approach is to employ an innovative biotin-streptavidin based immunoaffinity recognition method for real time bacterial pathogen recognition, and a multiplexed parallel sensing array for rapid detection. The intellectual merit is to enable a transformative experimental tool for rapid analysis of bacterial pathogens because of the high throughput, high selectivity and high sensitivity of the sensor. The immunoaffinity recognition based on streptavidin-biotin interaction is label free, requires only one universal surface modification with biotin, and can be used for detecting many bacterial pathogens. Thus it will lead to a transformative technology for low cost, onsite detection of bacterial pathogens and cells. Research on multiplexation of signals from parallel microfluidic channels will yield a generalized platform for developing high throughput biosensors. The broader Impacts are multifold. The proposed research will have transformative impacts on food and drinking water safety monitoring, environmental monitoring, bio-warfare detection, and clinical diagnosis. This project will provide interdisciplinary training opportunity for the graduate and undergraduate students involved in the research. The project also aims to develop lab-on-a-chip and bio-nanotechnology related educational materials and contribute to motivating undergraduate students and K-12 students to pursue science and engineering careers. Through University of Akron?s ?Increasing Diversity in Engineering Academics?, ?Women in Engineering? and ?High School Bridge? programs, undergraduate students and high school students will be recruited to conduct research in this project.