Direct-read monitor for airborne viral pathogens

气溶胶化的病原体，如流感病毒，可以在整个人群中快速无声地传播， 导致难以控制的严重爆发。早期发现这些空气传播的病原体是 控制疫情，特别是在医院、治疗中心或 养老院然而，现有的方法既不快速，也不便携。目前的方法严重依赖于场外 采用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测病原体的实验室分析 抗原和/或聚合酶链反应（PCR）来检测收集的样品中的病原体核酸。这 两步过程，收集后进行离线实验室分析，大大增加了工作量和时间， 侦测此外，传统的ELISA和PCR是复杂的，并且不适合于自动化检测。 在接触点出现疫情。此外，目前使用的生物气溶胶收集方法往往 破坏病毒颗粒，使随后的病毒抗原和核酸检测变得困难。这些因素 使目前的生物气溶胶收集和检测系统次优，并进一步使它们难以处理， 自动化实时检测需要一个灵敏、便携、直接读取的生物气溶胶检测平台 可以在接触点检测特定的病原体。这样一种工具将能够迅速查明 疫情爆发，从而能够对公共卫生威胁作出快速反应。 气溶胶设备公司是一家早期创业公司，正在开发一种创新的生物气溶胶收集 该系统相对于传统的生物气溶胶采样系统而言是安静的、完全集成的和廉价的。使用 一个温和的冷凝收集方法，模仿人类的肺，它产生高品质，浓缩， 理想地适用于微流体分析的活生物气溶胶病原体的小体积液体样品 传感器.同样，科罗拉多州立大学的亨利、丹迪和盖斯博士也在积极开发 创新的微流体电化学传感器，以快速检测生物样品中的完整病毒颗粒。的 电化学传感器是鲁棒的、便宜的，并且可以提供对存在的电化学物质的近实时反馈。 当与液体样品一起使用时，病毒病原体的浓度极低。将这两项技术结合起来 将为生物气溶胶检测提供独特的解决方案，以满足当前的关键市场需求。 在第一阶段的STTR提案中，我们将展示一个结合了这两种技术的原理证明系统 创新的技术，使实时检测雾化的病毒颗粒。所提出的系统 协同科罗拉多州立大学在传染病，电化学和微流体方面的优势， Aerosol Devices在快速和强大的气溶胶收集方面的专业知识， 可以快速检测气溶胶化的病原体，提供疫情预警，帮助拯救生命。

Aerosolized pathogens, such as Influenza viruses, can spread rapidly and silently throughout a population, causing severe outbreaks that can be difficult to control. Early detection of these airborne pathogens is key to controlling outbreaks, especially among vulnerable populations such as in hospitals, treatment centers or nursing homes. Yet available methods are neither rapid, nor portable. Current methods rely heavily on off-site laboratory analysis with detection using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to detect pathogen antigens and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect pathogen nucleic acids in collected samples. This two-step process, collection followed by off-line laboratory analysis, significantly increases effort and time-to- detection. Moreover, traditional ELISA and PCR are complicated, and not amenable to automated detection of emerging outbreaks at the point of contact. Additionally, currently used bioaerosol collection methods tend to damage viral particles, making subsequent detection of viral antigens and nucleic acids difficult. These factors make current bioaerosol collection and detection systems suboptimal, and further renders them intractable for automated, real-time detection. Needed is a sensitive, portable, direct-reading, bioaerosol detection platform that can detect specific pathogens at the point of contact. Such an instrument would enable quick identification of outbreaks, and thereby enable rapid response to public health threats. Aerosol Devices Inc. is an early stage startup company that is developing an innovative bioaerosol collection system that is quiet, fully integrated, and inexpensive relative to traditional bioaerosol sampling systems. Using a gentle condensation collection approach that mimics the human lung, it produces high-quality, concentrated, small-volume liquid samples of viable bioaerosol pathogens that are ideally suited for microfluidic sensors. Likewise, Drs. Henry, Dandy, and Geiss at Colorado State University are actively developing innovative microfluidic electrochemical sensors to rapidly detect intact virus particles in biological samples. The electrochemical sensors are robust, inexpensive, and can provide near real-time feedback of the presence of ultralow concentrations of viral pathogens when used with liquid samples. Combining these two technologies will provide a unique solution for bioaerosol detection that addresses the current critical market need. In this Phase I STTR proposal, we will demonstrate a proof-of-principle system that combines the two innovative technologies to enable real-time detection of aerosolized viral particles. The proposed system synergizes Colorado State University strengths in infectious diseases, electrochemistry, and microfluidics with Aerosol Devices expertise in rapid and robust aerosol collection towards a single fully integrated system that can rapidly detect aerosolized pathogens, providing early warning of outbreaks and helping to save lives.