A Biochip For Point-Of-Care HIV/AIDS Diagnosis in the Developing World

描述(由申请人提供) 摘要：艾滋病毒/艾滋病是人类历史上最具破坏性的流行病之一，造成2500多万人死亡。3000多万人获得治疗的机会有限或得不到治疗，这主要是由于高效抗逆转录病毒疗法(HAART)和目前的诊断检测费用高昂，以及缺乏支持这些检测的基本基础设施(例如，缺乏电力、没有训练有素的人员)。迫切需要能够在资源有限的情况下使用的创新、廉价的诊断仪器技术。虽然提供免费HAART的计划是在资源有限的环境中实施的，但由于上述原因，没有可用的诊断测试来评估提供的HAART的有效性。HAART的有效管理需要随着时间的推移监测艾滋病毒感染的过程。世界卫生组织建议在资源有限的情况下使用CD4T细胞计数测试来监测艾滋病毒个体的临床状态。我们建议开发一种便携式的、廉价的、基于MEMS(微电子机械系统)的成像系统，用于从1？L全血中计数CD_4细胞的绝对数。我们使用术语‘成像系统’来表示我们所遵循的不同的计数方法：我们的系统可以同时对预先组装在生物芯片表面的数千个单个细胞进行成像，而不是逐个读取单个细胞(就像用流式细胞仪所做的那样)。虽然拟议的成像系统可以取代目前昂贵的细胞计数仪器，但我们的目标是开发一种系统，只要基础设施有限，无法进入医院或诊所，就可以到达最终用户。这种技术不仅能够在发展中国家监测个人HAART的疗效，而且通过识别需要治疗的患者和不需要治疗的患者，使更多的药物可用。 与公共卫生的相关性：在资源有限的情况下，无法提供艾滋病毒/艾滋病管理的诊断测试。利用微制造技术的最新进展，我们建议开发一种便携式、护理点、廉价的生物芯片，用于监测居住在资源有限环境中的艾滋病毒/艾滋病患者的感染进展。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by the applicant) Abstract: HIV/AIDS is one of the most destructive pandemics in human history, responsible for more than 25 million deaths. More than 30 million people live with limited or no access to therapeutic treatments, mainly due to the high cost of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) and current diagnostic tests as well as due to the lack of basic infrastructure (e.g. lack of electricity, no trained personnel) that can support these tests. The need for innovative, inexpensive diagnostic instrumentation technology that can be used in resourcelimited settings is immediate. While programs that offer free HAART are being implemented in resource-limited settings, no diagnostic tests are available for evaluating the efficacy of HAART provided for the reasons mentioned above. Efficient management of HAART requires monitoring the course of HIV infection over time. The World Health Organization recommends the CD4+ T-cell count test for monitoring the clinical status of HIV individuals in resource-limited settings. We propose to develop a portable, inexpensive, MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems)-based, imaging system for counting the absolute number of CD4 cells from 1 ¿l of whole blood. We use the term 'imaging system' to denote the different approach we follow for counting CD4 cells: rather the reading one by one singles cells (as it is done with flow cytometry), our system can image simultaneously thousands of individual cells, pre-assembled on the surface of a biochip. Although the proposed imaging system can replace current expensive cell counting instrumentation, our goal is to develop a system that can reach the end-user wherever limited infrastructure is present and no access to a hospital or clinic is possible. Such technology will not only enable to monitor the efficacy of an individual's HAART in the developing world, but it will make more medicines available by identifying patients who need a treatment from patients who do not need it. Public Health Relevance: Diagnostic tests for HIV/AIDS management are not available in resource-limited settings. Taking advantages from recent advances in microfabrication technology, we propose to develop a portable, point-of-care, inexpensive biochip for monitoring the progress of HIV/AIDS infection in patients residing in resource-limited settings.