Development of an Airborne Pathogen Capture and Detection System

最近COVID-19大流行引发的全球公共卫生危机凸显了对疾病诊断和空气传播病原体控制追踪策略的迫切需求。大量的病原体，如病毒或细菌，存在于并通过来自感染者的讲话，咳嗽，打喷嚏或呼吸的微观颗粒传播。当人们聚集在文化和体育场所，教堂或公共生活空间等近距离时，这些颗粒很容易传播。然而，这种空气传播的致病颗粒的存在目前没有通过任何容易获得的检测方法有效地监测。针对这种情况，研究人员的目标是设计一种空气传播病原体颗粒收集和检测系统，能够跟踪室内空间中空气传播病原体的存在。还提出了一个生物传感相关的教育-研究-培训模式，它将教育一个多样化的科学和工程专业的学生，他们传统上缺乏对材料化学，生物学，设备设计和制造技术的整合研究，以及将这些整合到一个整体技术技能中的方法。该计划将使学生能够解决关键的科学和专业劳动力的差距。努力减少在封闭空间中暴露于空气传播的病原体首先需要了解它们在这些区域的存在和数量。目前的室内空气监测方法包括收集空气样本，并通过菌落/噬菌斑计数测定法（需要一个孵育期）或定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）进行分析。作为一种解决方案，该项目提出了一种集成的空气传播病原体收集和检测系统，能够收集气溶胶化的病原体，并利用电化学生物传感器进行检测。该项目旨在为部署空气传播病原体自动监测系统建立必要的科学基础，该系统将能够检测室内空间空气传播病原体颗粒的存在。该系统包括湿式冲击器、微流体和化学电阻电化学传感单元，与无线传输耦合。虽然模型目标将通过靶向人工病毒样颗粒上显示的Spike Protein S来特异性针对冠状病毒，这是四种普通感冒以及当前SARS-CoV-2爆发的常见蛋白质，但该项目将为设计用于捕获和检测封闭空间中任何空气传播病原体的平台技术建立必要的科学基础。将检测抗S抗体和抗S适体序列，并在加标浓缩器缓冲液的化学生物传感单元中评价检测性能。检测限、特异性、灵敏度和生物传感器有效期方面的系统性能将验证成功。该系统将连续采样空气，分离空气中的颗粒物，将100 nm至2.5 µm的颗粒物收集到缓冲溶液中，收集效率为99%，并显示结果。作为教育部分的一部分，该团队将发起并领导一项努力，为科学和工程研究生和本科生设计一个多学科课程模型，其中包括化学，生物材料科学，电气和机械工程以及化学，健康科学，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 global public health crisis caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need for disease diagnostics and control tracing strategies for airborne pathogens. A large number of pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, are present in and transmitted through microscopic particles that originate from an infected person’s speech, cough, sneeze, or breathe. Such particles can easily be transmitted when people congregate in close quarters such as cultural and sporting venues, churches or common living spaces. However, the presence of such airborne pathogenic particles are not effectively monitored today by any readily available detection methods. In response to this situation, the investigators aim to design an airborne pathogen particle collection and detection system with the ability to track the presence of airborne pathogens in indoor spaces. A biosensing related education-research-training model is also proposed; it will educate a diverse cohort of science and engineering students who traditionally lack exposure to research on the integration of materials chemistry, biology, device design, and manufacturing technologies and ways to bring these together into one overall technical skillset. This program will empower students to address both critical scientific and professional workforce gaps.Efforts to mitigate exposure to airborne pathogens in enclosed spaces first require knowledge of their presence and quantity in such areas. Current indoor air monitoring methods involve collecting air samples and analyzing them by colony/plaque counting assay, which requires an incubation period, or by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). As a solution, this project proposes an integrated airborne pathogen collection and detection system, with the ability to collect aerosolized pathogens and detect them with electrochemical biosensors. The project aims to develop the science base necessary for the deployment of an automatic airborne pathogen monitoring system that will allow detection of the presence of airborne pathogenic particles in interior spaces. The system comprises a wet impactor, microfluidics and chemoresistive electrochemical sensing units, coupled with wireless transmission. While the model target will be specific to coronavirus by targeting Spike Protein S displayed on artificial virus-like particles, a protein common to four types of common cold, as well as the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, this project will build the science base necessary for the design of a platform technology for the capture and detection of any airborne pathogens in enclosed spaces. Anti-S antibodies and anti-S aptamer sequences will be tested and evaluated for detection performance in a chemoresisitve biosensing unit fed by spiked concentrator buffers. System performance in terms of detection limits, specificity, sensitivity and biosensor shelf-life will verify success. The system will continuously sample the air, separate airborne particles, collect particles ranged from 100 nm to 2.5 µm into a buffer solution with the collection efficiency of 99%, and display the results. As part of the educational component, the team will initiate and lead an effort to design a multidisciplinary curriculum model for science and engineering graduate and undergraduate students that incorporates concepts from Chemistry, Biology Materials Science, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, as well as Chemistry, Health Science, and Biology.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.