Micromachined Biosensor for Mycobacterial Pathogens

性状（由申请人提供）：分枝杆菌细长，不运动， 革兰氏阳性杆菌，不产生孢子或荚膜。十九 分枝杆菌与人类疾病有关。最危险的 这些疾病之一是结核病，由感染M.结核 结核病每年造成约200万人死亡，另有800万人感染 每年百万人。这种疾病的治疗和诊断是复杂的 通过目前的实验室方法， 明确的感染鉴定需要新的诊断系统， 及早发现结核病，以更好地监测 结核病，并研究该疾病的流行病学。Luna Innovations 已经组建了一个研究小组来开发一种微机械生物传感器阵列 它结合了硅微机械加工、光纤传感器 和生物化学用于测量分枝杆菌病原体。感测 生物传感器阵列的元件将是微悬臂梁， 与受体有关。当病原体与涂层光束结合时， 感应表面应力导致梁按比例偏转， 浓度.第一阶段计划将集中于开发微悬臂梁 生物传感器阵列，展示了纯结核分枝杆菌病原体的检测 解决方案，并将性能与已知标准进行比较。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by applicant): Mycobacteria are slender, nonmotile, gram-positive rods and do not produce spores or capsules. Nineteen Mycobacterium species are associated with disease in humans. The most dangerous of these diseases is tuberculosis, caused by infection with M. tuberculosis. Tuberculosis kills about 2 million people annually and infects another 8 million people each year. Treatment and diagnosis of the disease is complicated by current laboratory methods that can take from four to six weeks to establish a definitive identification of infection. New diagnostic systems are needed for earlier detection of tuberculosis, to better monitor the treatment of tuberculosis, and to study the epidemiology of the disease. Luna Innovations has assembled a team of researchers to develop a micromachined biosensor array that combines technology from silicon micromachining, optical fiber sensors, and biochemistry for measurement of mycobacterial pathogens. The sensing element of the biosensor array will be a microcantilever beam coated on one side with receptors. As pathogens bind to the coated beam, a biochemical induced surface stress causes the beam to deflect proportionally to concentration. The Phase I program will focus on developing the microcantilever biosensor array, demonstrating detection of mycobacterial pathogens in neat solutions, and comparing performance to known standards.