Multiplex Nucleic Acid Detection Devices for the Diagnosis of Respiratory Viruses

描述（由申请方提供）：流感病毒感染是人类以及野生和驯养动物种属中主要发病和死亡的原因。人类中流感相关的发病率和死亡率是基于病毒在人类和非人类物种中的持续遗传进化而每年显现的。在过去几年中，在野生和家养鸟类种群中出现了几种高致病性甲型流感（H5 N1）菌株。这些病毒已经传播给人类是一系列零星的主要是鸟传人的事件。感染这些高致病性H5 N1菌株与33 - 100%的男性死亡率相关。迄今为止，人与人之间传播的病例很难记录，但人们非常担心，随着时间的推移，病毒的不断进化可能会改变病原体的传播能力。准确监测动物和人群中流行的流感毒株将大大提高我们预测和应对传统和高致病性流感毒株及其他逆转录病毒的传播和/或演变的能力。在本申请中，位于加州大学圣地亚哥分校和位于科罗拉多博尔德的Precision Photonics的病毒学家、微生物遗传学家、基因阵列专家和物理学家的合作小组提出开发一种新颖且稳健的诊断平台，其能够以低成本、高灵敏度和快速通量检测生物流体中的呼吸道病毒核酸。该技术的改进建议，将使检测到的流感病毒的血凝素和神经氨酸酶亚型，抗病毒化合物的敏感性和有针对性的致病性基序的存在下的表征。该平台可以扩展到包括人类的其他呼吸道病毒，也可以修改用于家畜或野生动物种群的兽医用途。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Influenza viral infections are a cause of major morbidity and mortality in humans as well as in wild and domesticated animal species. Influenza-related morbidity and mortality in humans is manifest on a yearly basis on the basis of ongoing genetic evolution of he virus in human and non-human species. Over the last several years, several strains of highly pathogenic Influenza A (H5N1) have arisen in wild and domestic bird populations. These viruses have already been transmitted to humans is a series sporadic predominantly bird-to-man transmission events. Infection with these highly pathogenic strains of H5N1 have been associated with mortality rates in man of 33 -100%. To date, cases of man-to-man spread have been difficult to document but there are substantial concerns that ongoing evolution of the virus might modify the transmissability of the agent over time. Accurate monitoring of circulating influenza strains in animal and human populations will greatly enhance our ability to anticipate and respond to the spread and/or evolution of both traditional and highly pathogenic strains of influenza and other retroviruses. In this application a collaborative group of virologists, microbial geneticists, genetic array experts, and physicists based at the University of California, San Diego and Precision Photonics in Boulder, Colorado propose to develop a novel and robust diagnostic platform that is capable of detecting respiratory virus nucleic acids in biological fluids at low cost, high sensitivity and rapid throughput. Refinements of the technology are proposed that will enable characterization of detected influenza viruses as to hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtype, susceptibility to antiviral compounds and presence of targeted pathogenicity motifs. The platform can be expanded to include other respiratory viruses of man and could also be modified for veterinary use in either domestic or wild animal populations.