Development of an Airborne Pathogen Capture and Detection System

空气传播病原体捕获和检测系统的开发

• 批准号: 2127756
• 负责人: Lia Stanciu
• 金额: $ 28.07万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2127756&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Airborne; Pathogen; Capture; Detection

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.

最近的COVID-19造成的全球公共卫生危机强调了对空中病原体的疾病诊断和控制追踪策略的迫切需求。大量病原体（例如病毒或细菌）存在于源自感染者的语音，咳嗽，雪橇或呼吸的微观颗粒中并通过微观颗粒传播。当人们聚集在文化和体育场所，教堂或普通的生活空间等近距离的地方时，可以很容易地传播这样的颗粒。但是，今天没有通过任何随时可用的检测方法对这种空气传播的致病颗粒的存在有效监测。在响应这种情况下，研究人员旨在设计一种空气中的病原体颗粒收集和检测系统，能够跟踪室内空间中空气中病原体的存在。还提出了与生物传感相关的教育研究模型；它将教育一系列不同的科学和工程专业学生，他们传统上缺乏对材料化学，生物学，设备设计和制造技术整合的研究的影响，以及将它们融合到一个整体技术技能的方法。该计划将使学生能够解决关键的科学和专业劳动力差距。当前的室内空气监测方法涉及收集空气样品，并通过菌落/斑块计数测定法进行分析，该测定需要孵育期，或通过定量聚合酶链反应（QPCR）进行分析。作为解决方案，该项目提出了一个集成的机载病原体收集和检测系统，并能够收集雾化的病原体并使用电化学生物传感器检测它们。该项目旨在开发部署自动空气病原体监测系统所需的科学基础，该基础将允许检测内部空间中空气中病原体颗粒的存在。该系统包括湿撞击器，微流体和化学主义的电化学感官单元，再加上无线传输。虽然该模型靶标将通过靶向在人造病毒样颗粒上显示的尖峰蛋白S特定于冠状病毒，而这种蛋白质是一种对四种常见感冒的蛋白质，以及当前的SARS-COV-2爆发，但该项目将建立用于捕获和检测封闭空间中任何空气病原体的平台技术所必需的科学基础。将测试并评估抗S抗体和抗S磷脂剂序列，并评估以尖峰浓缩液缓冲液喂养的化学速度生物传感单元中的检测性能。在检测极限，特异性，灵敏度和生物传感器货架寿命方面的系统性能将验证成功。该系统将连续采样空气，分开的空气颗粒，收集范围为100 nm至2.5 µm的颗粒，收集效率为99％，并显示结果。 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 precious of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review 标准。