A Hand-Held System for Live Anthrax Spore Detection

描述(由调查人员提供)：2002年政府对炭疽孢子现场测试的准确性进行了一项研究，对这些测试的有效性提出了严重质疑。此外，一些商业试剂盒中仍在使用的一种DNA标记被证明也可以检测到在没有接触过炭疽的土壤样本中常见的其他杆菌。这项拟议研究的总体目标是利用我们创新的“试管中实验室”(Liat TM)技术开发一种快速和特定的现场检测方法，用于早期检测炭疽芽胞。我们的第一阶段研究已经确定了检测活的炭疽孢子和区分炭疽芽孢杆菌与其他芽孢杆菌物种的可行性。基于我们对生物防御需求的了解，在这项第二阶段的研究中，我们将专注于克服环境样品处理的挑战，并验证我们的LIAT系统用于炭疽检测。在这项拟议的研究中开发的技术最终将使Liat分子分析仪能够处理环境和医学样本，并执行快速实时PCR检测。我们估计，我们的活孢子检测将比目前使用的活孢子检测快4-6倍，灵敏度100-1000倍。

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): A 2002 government study on the accuracy of field tests for anthrax spores casts serious doubt on the validity of these tests. Moreover, one of the DNA markers still being used in some commercial kits was shown to also detect other bacilli commonly found in soil samples that have not been exposed to anthrax. The overall goal of this proposed research is to develop a rapid and specific field assay for early detection of Bacillus anthracis spores using our innovative "Lab-in-a-tube" (Liat TM) technology. Our Phase I research has established the feasibility of detecting viable anthrax spores and of distinguishing Bacillus anthracis from other Bacillus species. Based on our understanding of the biodefense needs, we will focus on overcoming the challenges of environment sample processing and validating our Liat system for anthrax detection in this Phase II study. The technology developed in this proposed research will ultimately enable the Liat Molecular Analyzer to process both environmental and medical samples and perform rapid real-time PCR detection. We estimate that our live spore assay will be 4-6 times faster and 100-1,000 times more sensitive than the live spore assay currently used.