STTR Phase I: SMART Colorimetric Sensor for Airborne Methane Detection

这个小型企业技术转移第一阶段项目将开发基于噬菌体的比色传感器，以提供具有成本效益的、低功率的天然气检测和量化。目前，还没有一种技术可以可靠地在现场实时检测早期天然气泄漏；现有的解决方案要么不够灵敏(手持红外探测器)，要么太大(气相色谱)。仅在美国，每年就有近30亿美元的损失是由与天然气泄漏有关的灾难造成的(9亿美元来自天然气泄漏，20亿美元来自下游环境成本，8000万美元来自财产损失)；随着美国估计有300万英里长的管道老化，这个数字只会增加。建议的传感器将提供选择性但便携的传感能力，以改进天然气泄漏检测。假设这种基于噬菌体的传感器广泛应用，预计最初国内市场规模将超过6000万美元。此外，我们建议的传感器系统有可能被设计成通过现有的电信网络快速共享传感结果，从而减少天然气泄漏造成的损失。这在甲烷排放水平的地理测绘以及改善管道安全方面也具有下游影响。该项目的智能优点是创建了一个传感器平台，可以快速开发基于工程M13噬菌体的气体传感器矩阵。该传感器的特性基于高度特异的多肽受体和广泛反应的表面化学反应，是现有比色传感器的一大优势，现有的比色传感器需要复杂的合成方法才能结合选择性元素。该项目旨在创造一种新型的工程噬菌体，具有展示彩色矩阵阵列的能力，可以检测和测量天然气的成分。还将通过主成分分析开发能够快速破译与甲烷存在相关的噬菌体颜色变化的识别软件。最后，将在噬菌体膜上进行初步的可行性测试，以分析传感器在隔离操作条件下的响应。该项目的预期技术成果是创建用于区分甲烷气体分子的原型传感器矩阵，以及相应的基于智能手机的阅读器和算法。这些结果对于确定传感器的局限性和可扩展性要求至关重要。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop phage-based colorimetric sensors to provide cost-effective, low-powered detection and quantification of natural gas. Currently, there is no technology that can reliably detect early natural gas leaks on-site in real-time; existing solutions are either not sensitive enough (handheld infra-red detector) or too bulky (gas chromatography). In the United States alone, almost $3 billion in annual losses results from natural gas leak related disasters ($900 million from lost gas, $2 billion from downstream environmental cost, and $80 million from property damage); the number will only grow with the aging of an estimated three million miles of pipelines in the country. The proposed sensor will offer a selective, yet portable sensing capability for improving natural gas leak detection. Assuming widespread implementation of the phage-based sensor, the anticipated domestic market size is over $60 million initially. In addition, our proposed sensor system has the potential to be designed to rapidly share sensing results through existing telecommunication networks, and thereby reduce the losses due to natural gas leaks. This also has downstream implications in terms of geomapping of methane emission levels, as well as improving pipeline safety. The intellectual merit of this project is to create a sensor platform that can rapidly develop gas sensor matrices based on engineered M13 bacteriophage (phage). The properties of the sensor, based on highly specific peptide receptors and broadly reactive surface chemistries, are a big advantage over existing colorimetric sensors that require complex synthetic methods in order to incorporate selective elements. This project intends to create a new type of engineered bacteriophage with the capability to display color matrix arrays that can detect and measure components of natural gas. Recognition software that can quickly decipher the phage color change associated with the presence of methane will also be developed through principal component analysis. Finally, initial feasibility tests will be conducted on the phage film to analyze sensor response in isolated operating conditions. The anticipated technical results for this project are the creation of prototype sensor matrix to distinguish methane gas molecules and a corresponding smartphone-based reader and algorithm. These outcomes are vital to the determination of sensor limitations and scalability requirements.