An Echelle Spectrometer to Enable Novel Diagnostic Tests Using High-Resolution Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Plasma Emission Spectroscopy

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The instrumentation to be acquired will enable the development of novel medical diagnostic tests in our laboratory. It will allow us to make sensitive measurements of biomedical specimens and rapidly identify harmful bacteria that can cause human disease. We will acquire a broadband Echelle spectrometer to analyze the light emitted by laser-induced plasmas that are created when a powerful pulse of laser light is focused to a very tight spot onto a target material. The incredible energy of the laser pulse rips the material apart atom by atom, creating a compact but very hot spark called a "plasma." The light emitted by such a plasma contains information about which atoms and molecules made up the target material. This process is easy to control and the plasma can be created on almost any material. This makes it a very powerful and attractive tool for rapidly and easily determining the composition of an unknown target. By firing the laser at a specimen which contains bacteria and analyzing the light given off, we have shown we can uniquely identify the bacteria in that specimen. This ability to detect and identify bacterial pathogens in real-time is important in many facets of human health, including clinical medicine and in hospitals, in the law-enforcement and first-responder communities, in food and beverage contamination monitoring, and in drinking/swimming water cleanliness and safety. All Canadians would benefit from the implementation of a rapid technology to protect them from exposure to harmful bacteria or for rapid diagnosis if they were infected. We are now attempting to analyze biomedical specimens (like cerebral spinal fluid or sputum) and we have also developed a protocol to obtain and test pathogenic bacteria from standard clinical "swabs" used to detect the presence of microbes on surfaces (like telephones or bed rails.) To extend this work, a new high-resolution and high-sensitivity spectrometer is required to analyze the light obtained from plasmas formed when the number of bacteria is very small. Lastly, by training highly-qualified personnel in the use of this type of equipment in Windsor, we are preparing Canadian scientists and researchers to play a lead role in the development of this exciting new scientific technique. These young scientists stand at the crossroads of multiple disciplines and are learning valuable techniques and strategies from several scientific fields. We are also training them to be able to design, build, and utilize the next generation of high-technology optical apparatus.