Rapid Determination of Viability of Anthrax Spores

描述（由申请人提供）：微纳米系统技术已经在各种生物医学应用中发现越来越多的用途，包括生物实体的检测和表征。用于此类应用的设备被广泛地称为“生物芯片”，例如DNA检测，甚至已经商业化。有一个研究领域已经变得越来越重要，但还没有得到很好的研究，那就是利用生物医学微机电系统技术（BioMEMS）对极少数细胞和微生物进行处理、操作和表征。从体液、组织样本、土壤、水和食物样本中检测极低的细胞浓度是一项尚未完全实现的挑战。这种努力的目标应该是处理、检测和表征单个细胞或微生物，而微型设备非常适合此类研究。此外，减少到结果的时间以能够执行“使用点”分析也非常重要。这种努力不仅可以产生非常重要的科学成果，而且还可以立即用于卫生和食品工业以及生物战和危害预防系统的实际诊断应用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Micro- and nano-systems technology has found increasing use in a wide variety of biomedical applications, including detection and characterization of biological entities. The devices used for such applications are broadly referred to as 'bio-chips' and for example in the case of DNA detection, have even been commercialized. One area of research that has become increasingly important but not very well studied is the handling, manipulation, and characterization of very few cells and micro-organisms using biomedical micro-electro-mechanical-systems technology (BioMEMS). The detection of very low cell concentrations from samples of bodily fluids, tissue samples, soil, water, and food is a challenge that has not been fully realized. The goal of such an effort should be to handle, detect, and characterize a single cell or microorganism, and micro-devices are ideally suited for such studies. In addition, reducing the time-to-result to be able to perform "point-of-use" analysis is also very important. Such endeavors can not only yield very important scientific results but can also be used immediately in practical diagnostic applications in the health and food industry and in biological warfare and hazard prevention systems. This project brings together interdisciplinary researchers from the fields of micro/nano-systems technology and microbiology with the knowledge of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) to further the state-of-the-art in micro-scale detection and identification of Bacillus anthracis. The knowledge developed herein will also apply to other microorganisms. The PIs have developed novel technologies that serve as the basis and starting point for continued state-of-the-art research. Micro-devices will be developed to rapidly detect the viability of the spores upon germination within one doubling cycle of the organisms, providing an electronic output. The devices will also have built-in electronic filters to concentrate the spores and cells inside the biochips at the detection sites. In parallel, biological analysis will be performed to identify the spore coat proteins, especially those novel to B. anthracis spores. These proteins are surface localized and thus useful for spore detection. The eventual system is envisioned to capture only the spores or pathogens of interested inside the bio-chips using these surface protein receptors, concentrate these microorganisms inside this chip, and electronically detect their viability and germination, while reducing the total time to result to less than possible by any other technology.