A Centrifugal Microfluidics Based Pathogen Analyzer

描述（由申请人提供）：生物战剂（BWA）攻击的潜在威胁，以及SARS（严重急性呼吸系统综合症）病毒在二十多个国家的传播，以及最近禽流感病毒在全球传播的威胁，都强调了迫切需要开发诊断系统，这些系统将能够迅速识别具有潜在流行病学后果的危险传染病的出现。目前用于检测感染因子的基于DNA的便携式系统缺乏多路复用，即同时分析大量病原体或其基因，它们不能很好地集成或自动化样品制备方法，不能在现场或护理点应用中有效使用。微阵列平台实际上并不限制对大量病原体的多路检测以及它们的多基因表征。第一阶段项目成功地展示了几种使用离心微流体制备样品的创新方法。三维或多层离心盘（3DCD）已经被设计和制造，它提供了几乎无限的表面积，以实现不同的样品制备技术。在第一阶段项目中，已经演示了几种用于3cd格式样品制备的创新工具。第二阶段项目的总体目标是整合这些工具并开发用于检测传染病和/或生物战剂的特定分析的光盘。DNA微阵列检测平台将与3DCD上的样品制备集成。一种较早开发并商业化的电子微阵列技术将用于检测。该技术确保快速DNA检测时间使用电泳驱动的DNA运输和杂交在微阵列上。二期项目的具体目标是开发带有嵌入式工具的3DCD技术，用于完整的样品制备和检测几种具有代表性的呼吸道传染病病原体以及生物战剂。一项充分开发的技术将产生一种小型便携式或即时护理系统，该系统带有可交换cd，允许选择病原体检测面板，包括呼吸道传染病、生物战剂或紧急病毒面板。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Potential threat of biological warfare agent (BWA) attacks as well as spread of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus to more than two dozen countries and a recent threat of global spread of bird flu virus emphasized the need for urgent development of diagnostic systems which will be capable to rapidly recognize emergence of dangerous infectious diseases with potential epidemiologic consequences. Current DNA based portable systems for the detection of infectious agents lack multiplexing, i.e., simultaneous analysis of large number of pathogens or their genes, they do not integrate well or automate the sample preparation methods and cannot be used efficiently in the field or in point-of care applications. The microarray platform practically does not pose a limit to multiplexed detection of large number of pathogens as well as their characterization by multiple genes. The Phase I project successfully demonstrated several innovative approaches to sample preparation using centrifugal microfluidics. Three dimensional or multilayer centrifugal discs (3DCD) have been designed and fabricated which offer practically unlimited surface area for implementation of different sample preparation techniques. Several innovative tools for sample preparation in the 3DCD format have been demonstrated in the Phase I project. The overall goal of the Phase II project is to integrate these tools and develop CDs for particular assays for the detection of infectious disease and/or biological warfare agents. A DNA microarray detection platform will be integrated with the sample preparation on the 3DCD. An electronic microarray technology developed and commercialized earlier, will be used in detection. This technology assures fast DNA detection times using electrophoretically driven DNA transport and hybridization on the microarray. Specific aims of the Phase II program is to develop 3DCD technology with embedded tools for complete sample preparation and detection of several representative respiratory infectious disease pathogens as well as biological warfare agents. A fully developed technology will yield a small portable or point-of-care system with exchangeable CDs allowing choice of the pathogen detection panels including respiratory infectious disease, biological warfare agents or emergent viruses panels.