Ultrasound monitored HIV rapid test

描述（由申请方提供）：本提案旨在证明检测体液中人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）抗体的新方法的可行性。该方法是基于使用超声波显着提高灵敏度和减少常规颗粒凝集免疫分析的时间。超声波用于加速和监测凝集过程。所提出的技术利用了超声驻波场中的一系列物理现象，包括（a）颗粒聚集体在驻声波的波节中的积累和凝集过程的加速;（B）在驻声波的波节中产生微泡，其中胶乳颗粒聚集体用作微泡成核中心;（c）由于溶解气体从液体到微泡中的整流扩散，微泡在超声场中生长;和（d）随后的空化活性，其提供指示由于抗原-抗体反应形成颗粒聚集体的“信号”的巨大放大。我们建议开发的免疫测定将在一个简单，便携和廉价的设备的基础上，新颖的专利圆柱形谐振器技术。值得注意的是，该方法可以容易地适用于检测可以产生抗体的任何靶分子。初步研究证实了拟议技术的主要创新组成部分的可行性，并表明新方法具有重大的商业和科学潜力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel method for detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody in the body fluids. The method is based on the use of ultrasound to significantly increase the sensitivity and reduce time of analysis of conventional particle agglutination immunoassay. Ultrasound waves are used for both accelerating and monitoring of the agglutination process. Proposed technology exploits the sequence of physical phenomena in the ultrasonic standing wave field including (a) accumulation of particle aggregates in the nodes of the standing acoustic wave and acceleration of the agglutination process; (b) generation of microbubbles in the nodes of the standing acoustic wave, where the latex particle aggregates serve as microbubble nucleation centers; (c) the growth of the microbubbles in the ultrasonic field due to rectified diffusion of the dissolved gas from the liquid into the microbubble; and (d) the following cavitation activity which provides gigantic amplification of the "signal" indicating the formation of the particle aggregate due to antigen-antibody reaction. The immunoassay we propose to develop will be implemented in a simple, portable and inexpensive device based on the novel patented cylindrical resonator technology. Significantly, the method can be easily adapted to detect any target molecule for which antibodies can be raised. Preliminary studies confirmed feasibility of the major innovative components of the proposed technology and it is shown that the new method has significant commercial and scientific potential.