Development of an Airborne Pathogen Capture and Detection System

最近的COVID-19大流行造成的全球公共卫生危机凸显了对空气传播病原体的疾病诊断和控制追踪战略的迫切需要。大量的病原体，如病毒或细菌，存在于由受感染者说话、咳嗽、打喷嚏或呼吸产生的微小颗粒中，并通过这些微小颗粒传播。当人们聚集在文化和体育场馆、教堂或公共生活空间等近距离场所时，这些颗粒很容易传播。然而，目前任何现成的检测方法都无法有效监测这种空气传播致病性颗粒的存在。针对这种情况，研究人员旨在设计一种能够跟踪室内空间中空气传播病原体存在的空气传播病原体颗粒收集和检测系统。提出了生物传感相关的教育-研究-培训模式；它将培养一群不同的理工科学生，他们传统上缺乏对材料化学、生物学、设备设计和制造技术的整合研究，以及将这些技术整合成一个整体技术技能的方法。该计划将使学生能够解决关键的科学和专业劳动力缺口。努力减少在封闭空间中接触空气传播的病原体，首先需要了解它们在这些地区的存在和数量。目前的室内空气监测方法包括收集空气样本，并通过菌落/菌斑计数法（需要一段潜伏期）或定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）进行分析。为解决这一问题，本项目提出了一种集成的空气病原体收集和检测系统，该系统具有收集雾化病原体并使用电化学生物传感器进行检测的能力。该项目旨在发展部署自动空气传播病原体监测系统所需的科学基础，该系统将允许检测室内空间中空气传播的致病颗粒的存在。该系统包括一个湿冲击器、微流体和化学电阻电化学传感单元，以及无线传输。虽然模型靶标将针对人造病毒样颗粒上显示的Spike蛋白S（四种普通感冒常见的蛋白质）以及当前的SARS-CoV-2爆发，从而特异性地针对冠状病毒，但该项目将为设计平台技术建立必要的科学基础，用于捕获和检测封闭空间中任何空气传播的病原体。抗s抗体和抗s适配体序列将在加钉浓缩缓冲液提供的化学电阻生物传感单元中进行测试和检测性能评估。在检测限、特异性、灵敏度和生物传感器保质期方面的系统性能将验证成功。该系统将连续采样空气，分离空气中的颗粒，将100 nm至2.5µm的颗粒收集到缓冲溶液中，收集效率为99%，并显示结果。作为教育组成部分的一部分，该团队将发起并领导为理工科研究生和本科生设计一个多学科课程模型，该课程模型融合了化学、生物学、材料科学、电气和机械工程以及化学、健康科学和生物学的概念。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The global public health crisis caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need for disease diagnostics and control tracing strategies for airborne pathogens. A large number of pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, are present in and transmitted through microscopic particles that originate from an infected person’s speech, cough, sneeze, or breathe. Such particles can easily be transmitted when people congregate in close quarters such as cultural and sporting venues, churches or common living spaces. However, the presence of such airborne pathogenic particles are not effectively monitored today by any readily available detection methods. In response to this situation, the investigators aim to design an airborne pathogen particle collection and detection system with the ability to track the presence of airborne pathogens in indoor spaces. A biosensing related education-research-training model is also proposed; it will educate a diverse cohort of science and engineering students who traditionally lack exposure to research on the integration of materials chemistry, biology, device design, and manufacturing technologies and ways to bring these together into one overall technical skillset. This program will empower students to address both critical scientific and professional workforce gaps.Efforts to mitigate exposure to airborne pathogens in enclosed spaces first require knowledge of their presence and quantity in such areas. Current indoor air monitoring methods involve collecting air samples and analyzing them by colony/plaque counting assay, which requires an incubation period, or by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). As a solution, this project proposes an integrated airborne pathogen collection and detection system, with the ability to collect aerosolized pathogens and detect them with electrochemical biosensors. The project aims to develop the science base necessary for the deployment of an automatic airborne pathogen monitoring system that will allow detection of the presence of airborne pathogenic particles in interior spaces. The system comprises a wet impactor, microfluidics and chemoresistive electrochemical sensing units, coupled with wireless transmission. While the model target will be specific to coronavirus by targeting Spike Protein S displayed on artificial virus-like particles, a protein common to four types of common cold, as well as the current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, this project will build the science base necessary for the design of a platform technology for the capture and detection of any airborne pathogens in enclosed spaces. Anti-S antibodies and anti-S aptamer sequences will be tested and evaluated for detection performance in a chemoresisitve biosensing unit fed by spiked concentrator buffers. System performance in terms of detection limits, specificity, sensitivity and biosensor shelf-life will verify success. The system will continuously sample the air, separate airborne particles, collect particles ranged from 100 nm to 2.5 µm into a buffer solution with the collection efficiency of 99%, and display the results. As part of the educational component, the team will initiate and lead an effort to design a multidisciplinary curriculum model for science and engineering graduate and undergraduate students that incorporates concepts from Chemistry, Biology Materials Science, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, as well as Chemistry, Health Science, and Biology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.