Magnetotactic phage-based microrobotic systems for the detection of live bacteria

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A biosensor is a probe that integrates a biological component with an electronic component to yield a measurable signal. The development of biosensors for the detection and quantification of bacterial contaminations are very diverse. It concerns not only national security but also the environment and the medical field where new biosensors are required for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of diseases. The detection of dangerous bacteria in food, hospitals, and drinking water supplies continue to rely on conventional techniques and methods that require relatively long period of time to get results and which because of such delays may lead to catastrophic consequences.The goal of this multidisciplinary project is the development of novel biosensing systems for the detection of bacteria and bacterial growth with shorter detection periods and higher sensitivities compared with conventional methods. The proposed biosensing microsystems will use special bacteria called magnetotactic bacteria that can be controlled by a miniature computer integrated onto the detection microsystem. These magnetotactic bacteria will attach themselves to small spheres previously coated with special virus called phages. By controlling the swimming path of the magnetotactic bacteria, a sweep of the sample that potentially contains the dangerous bacteria will be performed. If a sphere being pushed by a magnetotactic bacterium comes in contact with a dangerous bacterium, it will bind to the sphere because the phages will act like "glue" for this specific target bacterium. Then, the magnetotactic bacteria will be instructed to push to miniature spheres to special electronic detectors to detect and quantify the amount of dangerous bacteria being captured. The successful realization of this project will have a huge impact in the detection of dangerous organisms for humans and would contribute to make the country, the environment, and public places much safer while providing an important tool for the detections and preventions of diseases.