SBIR Phase I: Rapid Single-Use, Point-Of-Care, Disposable Lateral Flow Device for Detection Of Kennel Cough

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改善动物的健康和福祉，特别是通常被称为犬舍咳嗽的狗的呼吸道感染。仅在美国，每年就有超过500万的兽医就诊是由于狗窝咳嗽。在90%的情况下，狗的治疗是基于经验数据的，这意味着兽医的猜测是有根据的，只有不到10%的狗接受了测试。狗在群居环境中待的时间越长，就越有可能出现狗窝咳嗽的临床症状。美国的500万病例被低估了，通常不包括来自狗窝、收容所和/或寄宿设施的病例。根据目前的程序，兽医可能会将样本送到中心实验室，而这些实验室需要许多天才能提供结果。拟议的项目将开发一种诊断测试，为兽医提供一种成本效益高、易于使用的单一测试，可以检测多种生物体。该测试将在样品采集后几分钟内提供结果。这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段将演示在单个测试设备中检测几种病原体的初步可行性。选定的病原体将是细菌和病毒的组合，这些细菌和病毒已被确定会导致狗的犬舍咳嗽，这是一种常见但使人衰弱的疾病。拟议的工作将允许测试验证、原型制造、临床样品评估和向兽医和宠物主人报告结果的程序。这一创新将有助于填补在了解犬舍咳嗽的疾病生态、患病率、发病率和地理分布方面的广泛空白，促进更快、更有效的疾病管理决策。如果能够迅速查明与某一事件有关的传染性病原体，就能够迅速作出反应，限制可能爆发疫情的规模。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 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to improve the health and well-being of animals, particularly respiratory infections in dogs commonly known as kennel cough. More than 5 million veterinarian visits a year in the United States alone are due to kennel cough. In 90% of those cases, dogs are treated based on empirical data, which means veterinarians take an educated guess, and fewer than 10% are tested. Dogs are more likely to develop clinical signs of kennel cough the longer they are in a group-housing environment. The 5 million cases in the United States are underestimated and do not typically include cases from kennels, shelters, and/or boarding facilities. With the current procedures, veterinarians may send samples to central laboratories that take many days to provide results. The proposed project will develop a diagnostic test that will provide veterinarians with a cost-effective, easy-to-use single test that can detect a wide range of organisms. The test will provide results within minutes of sample collection. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I will demonstrate the initial feasibility of detecting several pathogens in a single test device. The selected pathogens will be a combination of bacteria and viruses that have been identified to cause kennel cough in dogs, a common but debilitating ailment. The proposed work will allow test validation, prototype manufacturing, clinical sample evaluation, and procedures to report results to both veterinarians and pet owners. The innovation will help fill the extensive gaps in understanding the disease ecology, prevalence, incidence, and geographic distribution of kennel cough, facilitating faster and more efficient disease management decisions. The ability to rapidly identify the contagious pathogens involved in an occurrence will permit a rapid response to limit the dimensions of a possible outbreak.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.