I-Corps: Point-of-Care Microfluidic Device for Rapid Pathogen Detection

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力源于对低成本护理点（POC）微型设备的迫切需求，以便在资源匮乏的环境中快速检测百日咳等病原体感染。百日咳是美国唯一一种疫苗可预防的传染病。传统的病原体检测方法要么需要很长时间，要么需要昂贵和笨重的仪器，限制了它们在低资源环境中的应用。新型微流控装置可在护理点提供低成本、快速、准确的百日咳检测，使农村临床环境和其他场所的百日咳快速、准确的POC检测成为可能。该微流控装置也可用于检测多种其他病原体，如食源性病原体。这个I-Corps项目主要是为了商业化用于POC检测病原体的微型设备。其核心技术是在低成本的纸/聚合物混合微流控装置上集成DNA等温扩增。裸眼无仪器检测最大限度地减少了对仪器的要求，而DNA扩增和6种针对目标的引物分别确保了高检测灵敏度和高精度。这些显著的特点允许低成本、快速（45分钟）和准确的POC检测病原体在低源设置。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 I-Corps project stems from the critical need for a low-cost point-of-care (POC) microdevice for rapid detection of pathogen infections, such as whooping cough, in low-resource settings. Whooping cough is the only vaccine-preventable infection that remains endemic in the US. Conventional pathogen detection methods either take a long time or require costly and bulky instruments, limiting their applications for low-resource settings. The new microfluidic device can provide low-cost, rapid and accurate detection of whooping cough at the point of care, enabling rapid and accurate POC detection of whooping cough in rural clinical settings and other venues. The microfluidic device may also be used to detect a variety of other pathogens, such as foodborne pathogens. This I-Corps project is primarily intended to commercialize the microdevice for POC detection of pathogens. The core technology is based on integrated DNA isothermal amplification on a low-cost paper/polymer hybrid microfluidic device. The instrument-free detection by the naked eye minimizes instrumentation requirements, while DNA amplification and 6 primers specific to the target ensure high detection sensitivity and high accuracy, respectively. These significant features allow for low-cost, rapid (45 min), and accurate POC detection of pathogens in low-source settings.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.