SBIR Phase I: Development of a field diagnostic for the rapid detection of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in shrimp aquaculture

小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是通过减少疾病影响来提高水产养殖生产力。疾病每年给水产养殖业造成数十亿美元的损失，并威胁到全球粮食供应。这种由白色斑点综合症病毒（WSSV）引起的疾病可以摧毁一个虾场，每年造成超过10亿美元的损失。农民通常不知道疾病问题，直到动物显示出疾病的晚期症状或死亡。实验室诊断是昂贵的，结果需要几天到几周，这往往是太长的结果是可操作的。对白色斑点病的早期预警可以使农民立即采取行动减少损失，降低成本，增加产业稳健性。 该项目提出了一种新的诊断方法，以快速，简单，可靠地检测WSSV在养殖虾在一个新的易于使用的，现场测试。这个SBIR第一阶段项目将推进翻译一种新的诊断WSSV的技术，将工程蛋白与特定的目标到一个基于纸张的生物传感器。先前的研究证明了基于纸的免疫测定的概念验证，其具有基于聚合的扩增，用于检测HRP 2的基于蛋白质的生物标志物-疟疾的主要蛋白质生物标志物-灵敏度低至70 pM。该项目将生物工程热稳定rcSso 7 d DNA结合蛋白结合WSSV目标，并将其纳入纸测试格式。将探索检测灵敏度、试剂组成和动态范围，作为理解所开发检测的生物学和功能意义限度的努力的一部分。任务包括WSSV挑战研究，以评估采样参数和检测限的原型在实验室养殖的虾。由此产生的原型将快速和选择性地结合WSSV目标，并产生稳定的，易于解释的比色结果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to increase aquaculture productivity by reducing disease impact. Disease costs billions in losses each year to the aquaculture industry and threatens the global food supply. The disease caused by White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) can devastate a shrimp farm and costs over $1 billion in losses each year. Farmers are often unaware of a disease issue until animals show advanced signs of disease or there are mortalities. Laboratory diagnosis is expensive and results take days-to-weeks, which is often far too long for results to be actionable. Early warning of white spot disease can enable farmers to take immediate action to reduce losses, reducing costs and increasing industrial robustness. This project advances a new diagnostic to quickly, easily, and reliably detect WSSV in cultivated shrimp in a new easy-to-use, on-site test.This SBIR Phase I project will advance translation of a novel diagnostic for WSSV in a technology incorporating engineered proteins with specific targets into a paper-based biosensor. Prior studies demonstrated proof-of-concept with a paper-based immunoassay with polymerization-based amplification for detection of protein-based biomarkers for HRP2–the primary protein biomarker of malaria–with sensitivity as low as 70pM. This project will bioengineer thermostable rcSso7d DNA-binding proteins to bind the WSSV target and incorporate them into the paper testing format. Assay sensitivity, reagent composition, and dynamic range will be explored as part of an effort to understand the biological and functionally meaningful limits of the developed assay. Tasks include a WSSV challenge study to evaluate the sampling parameters and detection limits of the prototype in laboratory cultured shrimp. The resulting prototype will rapidly and selectively bind the WSSV target and yield stable, easily interpretable, colorimetric results.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.