SBIR Phase I: A Rapid Portable Biosensor for Field Detection of Vibrio Cholerae in Environmental Water Sources

这一小企业创新研究项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是一种廉价的手持智能手机设备，用于快速检测环境水源中的致病性霍乱病原体。受污染的水源使人们面临感染霍乱的风险。一旦感染霍乱，霍乱患者会出现腹泻、呕吐和脱水的症状，如果不及时治疗，最终会死亡。2010年海地和2017年也门爆发大规模霍乱疫情，影响了100多万人。目前，用于检测水中霍乱病原体的方法包括3至5天的水收集和细胞培养程序。该项目提出了一种便携式智能手机平台，用于在30分钟内在水源处检测霍乱病原体霍乱弧菌。智能手机连接，也将使地理测绘和时间戳的检测结果。这种新颖的主动检测方法可以使组织在社区感染和传播霍乱之前修复水源。在下游，这项技术将节省目前与霍乱爆发相关的时间和成本，并可扩展到其他传染病。SBIR第一阶段项目提出开发一种快速、经济高效和强大的智能手机平台，用于检测环境水源中的霍乱弧菌，并自动化检测结果。该设备进行等温DNA扩增分析结合新的传感方法，粒子扩散。本项目拟在智能手机平台上表征霍乱弧菌检测的特异性、灵敏度和检测下限。检测结果将与目前的金标准定量DNA扩增方法进行比较。此外，将使用涉及冷冻干燥的试剂储存方法，以消除对冷链储存的需求。我们将通过加速老化研究评估我们的检测试剂的长期稳定性。最后，低功率集成加热单元将被设计用于在手持设备中执行等温DNA扩增测定。在第一阶段项目完成后，一个集成的智能手机平台将准备好进行现场测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is an inexpensive handheld smartphone device for rapid detection of the toxigenic cholera pathogen in environmental water sources. Contaminated water sources place populations at risk for contracting cholera. Once contracting the disease, patients with cholera exhibit symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration and, if left untreated, ultimately death. Wide-scale cholera outbreaks devastated Haiti in 2010 and Yemen in 2017, affecting over one million total individuals. Currently, methods used to detect the cholera pathogen in water involves a 3 to 5-day water collection and cell culture procedure. This project proposes a portable smartphone platform used to detect the cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae, in under 30 minutes at the water source. Smartphone connectivity, will also enable geomapped and time-stamped detection results. This novel and proactive approach for detection can enable organizations to remediate water sources prior to communities contracting and spreading cholera. Downstream, this technology will save the time and costs currently associated with cholera outbreaks and can be expanded to other infectious diseases.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a rapid, cost-effective, and robust smartphone platform to detect Vibrio cholerae and automate the detection result at an environmental water source. The device performs isothermal DNA amplification assay combined with the novel sensing approach, particle diffusometry. This project proposes to characterize the specificity, sensitivity, and lower limit of detection of Vibrio cholerae detection on the smartphone platform. The detection results will be compared against current gold-standard quantitative DNA amplification methods. Further, a reagent storage method involving freeze drying will be used to eliminate the need for cold-chain storage. We will assess the long-term stability of our assay reagents through accelerated aging studies. Lastly, a low powered integrated heating unit will be designed to perform the isothermal DNA amplification assays in the handheld device. At the completion of this Phase I project, an integrated smartphone platform will be ready for field testing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.