PFI:BIC - Pathtracker: A smartphone-based system for mobile infectious disease detection and epidemiology

PFI：BIC - Pathtracker：基于智能手机的移动传染病检测和流行病学系统

• 批准号: 1534126
• 负责人: Brian Cunningham
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1534126&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; BIC; Pathtracker; smartphone; based

This Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) project will develop a mobile sensor technology for performing detection and identification of viral and bacterial pathogens. By means of a smartphone-based detection instrument, the results are shared with a cloud-based data management service that will enable physicians to rapidly visualize the geographical and temporal spread of infectious disease. When deployed by a community of medical users (such as veterinarians or point-of-care clinicians), the PathTracker system will enable rapid determination and reporting of instances of infectious disease that can inform treatment and quarantine responses that are currently not possible with tests performed at central laboratory facilities. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) currently represent the most sensitive and specific approaches for identification of viral or bacterial pathogens, with intense research focus directed towards miniaturization, acceleration, and automation of the protocol for amplifying disease-specific DNA sequences to easily-measured concentration. The plan is to apply the results of previously NSF-funded advances in photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence (PCEF) and smartphone fluorescence spectroscopy to implement PCR or LAMP assays within sub-µl liquid volumes for reduction in the assay amplification time to register a measurable fluorescent signal. Importantly, the detection approach enables 10x multiplexing of PCR (or LAMP) reactions within a chip that can be "swiped" through a custom handheld detection instrument that interfaces with the back-facing camera of a conventional smartphone in a manner that is similar to reading a credit card. A mobile device software application will guide the user through the assay process, interpret the results of the detection (including correlation of assay measurements with on-chip experimental controls), and communicate results to a cloud-based data management system along with other relevant information provided by the user. Importantly, the app will enable the user to view the results of tests performed by other users, with a mobile device interface that enables simple visualization of the locations, times, and circumstances surrounding positive/negative tests. The system will enable users to request customizable alerts when positive tests occur within the network of users, and to highlight confirmed positive cases when conventional laboratory tests can confirm results of positive field tests. The app will track outcomes and report statistics on system performance, including Receiver Operating Characteristic of assays. While the system will initially be deployed in the context of equine infectious disease representing an opportunity to mitigate enormous economic losses associated with infectious disease in the horse industry, the developed technology will be equally applicable to humans, food animals, and companion animals. Considering the economic and health impact of ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, when PathTracker is fully deployed within developing nations, the potential of the system to save lives by rapid delivery effective treatment, quarantine of infectious patients, and rapid identification/reporting of new cases is enormous. At the inception of the project, the primary partners are the lead institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, and National Center for Supercomputing Applications); University of Washington at Seattle (academic institution); Perkin Elmer, Diagnostics R&D Division, (Waltham, MA) (Large business); Motorola Mobility (Chicago, IL) (Large business);and Dr. David Nash, D.VM.(Lexington, KY) (Individual practitioner veterinarian).

这种创新伙伴关系：建设创新能力（PFI：BIC）项目将开发一种移动的传感器技术，用于检测和识别病毒和细菌病原体。通过基于智能手机的检测仪器，结果与基于云的数据管理服务共享，这将使医生能够快速可视化传染病的地理和时间传播。当由医疗用户社区（如兽医或护理点临床医生）部署时，PathTracker系统将能够快速确定和报告传染病的情况，这可以为治疗和检疫反应提供信息，而目前在中心实验室设施进行的测试是不可能的。 聚合酶链反应（PCR）和环介导的等温扩增（LAMP）目前代表了用于鉴定病毒或细菌病原体的最灵敏和特异性的方法，研究重点集中在将疾病特异性DNA序列扩增至易于测量的浓度的方案的小型化、加速和自动化。该计划将应用之前NSF资助的光子晶体增强荧光（PCEF）和智能手机荧光光谱学的进展结果，在亚微升液体体积内实施PCR或LAMP检测，以减少检测扩增时间，从而记录可测量的荧光信号。重要的是，该检测方法能够在芯片内实现PCR（或LAMP）反应的10倍多路复用，该芯片可以通过定制的手持式检测仪器“刷”过，该手持式检测仪器以类似于阅读信用卡的方式与传统智能手机的后置摄像头连接。移动终端软件应用程序将引导用户完成测定过程，解释检测结果（包括测定测量值与芯片上实验对照的相关性），并将结果与用户提供的其他相关信息沿着传送到基于云的数据管理系统。重要的是，该应用程序将使用户能够查看其他用户执行的测试结果，通过移动终端界面，可以简单地可视化阳性/阴性测试的位置、时间和环境。该系统将使用户能够在用户网络内出现阳性检测时请求定制警报，并在常规实验室检测可以确认阳性现场检测结果时突出显示确认的阳性病例。该应用程序将跟踪结果并报告系统性能的统计数据，包括检测试剂盒的接收器操作特性。虽然该系统最初将部署在马传染病的背景下，这是一个减轻马产业中与传染病相关的巨大经济损失的机会，但开发的技术将同样适用于人类，食用动物和伴侣动物。考虑到埃博拉、艾滋病毒、结核病和疟疾的经济和健康影响，当路径跟踪系统在发展中国家全面部署时，该系统通过快速提供有效治疗、隔离传染病患者和快速识别/报告新病例来拯救生命的潜力是巨大的。在项目开始时，主要合作伙伴是牵头机构：伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校（电气和计算机工程系、生物工程系和国家超级计算应用中心）;华盛顿大学西雅图分校（学术机构）; Perkin Elmer，诊断研发部（马萨诸塞州沃尔瑟姆）（大型企业）;摩托罗拉移动（伊利诺伊州芝加哥）（大型企业）;以及大卫纳什博士，VM。（列克星敦，肯塔基州）（个体执业兽医）。