PFI-RP: The rapid and specific detection of infectious pathogens using ultrathin porous membranes as sensors

该创新-研究伙伴关系（PFI-RP）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力来自于从少量体液（如唾液、尿液或血液）中快速检测感染的技术进步。不需要电子设备或外部读取器，所提出的基于膜的传感器技术预计将实现与当前侧流测定相同的低成本，但具有更高的灵敏度。重要的是，作为第一种需要特异性病原体大小和阳性适应症亲和力的测定法，该方法可以检测目前任何测定法都不能检测的活动性感染。活动性感染的低成本评估将对检疫管理产生影响，特别是在资源匮乏的环境中，失去工作或学校的社会负担特别高。相关的应用可能包括区分疾病的病毒和细菌来源的快速测试，这可能对快速评估儿童疼痛想法的原因特别有用。PFI-RP的一个主要重点是通过将PUI机构的教师和本科生作为研究和开发工作的全面参与者来扩大参与。企业家精神和工业将在课堂培训和PFI-RP团队的双周会议中得到充分体现。该PFI-RP项目将推进一种新型膜基传感器，用于基于大小和表面抗原检测生物流体中的传染性病原体。目前的快速检测方法只能检测病原体分子成分的存在，无法区分其感染性和非感染性状态。该项目计划重点关注该团队现有的原理验证研究之外的商业可行性所需的两项开发：1）将基于膜的传感器集成到具有明显比色读数的手动微流体设备中，以及2）通过优化孔径和抗原识别，证明膜传感可以推广用于检测不同的病原体/变体。为了实现这些目标，PFI团队组建了一个包括学术界和工业界在内的多机构团队。该团队将使用PET层压板（PETL）和其他低技术材料制造多功能微流体设备，以创建一个足够简单的设备，可以在家中操作。在平行研究中，将建立以高灵敏度和特异性检测大型和小型病原体所需的设计原则。这两项任务的成功预计将导致原型和工作流程，使一系列传染性病原体的快速检测在一个简单易用的测试格式。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Research Partnerships(PFI-RP) project derives from the advancement of a technology for the rapid detection of infection from a small quantity of body fluid such as saliva, urine, or blood. Requiring no electronics or external reader, the proposed membrane-based sensor technology is expected to achieve the same low costs as current lateral flow assays, but with greater sensitivity. Importantly, as the first assay to require specific pathogen size and affinity for positive indications, this approach may detect active infections which is not currently done by any assay. The low-cost assessment of active infection would be impactful for quarantine management, particularly in low-resource settings where the societal burden of lost work or school is especially high. Related applications may include rapid tests that distinguish between viral and bacterial sources of illness, which could be particularly useful for the rapid assessments of the cause of sore thoughts in children. A major emphasis in this PFI-RP is to broaden participation by including faculty and undergraduates at PUI institutions as full participants in the research and development efforts. Entrepreneurship and industry will be well-represented in both classroom training and in bi-weekly meetings of the PFI-RP team.This PFI-RP project will advance a novel membrane-based sensor for the detection of infectious agents in biofluids based on both their size and surface antigens. Current rapid assays only detect the presence of molecular components of pathogens and cannot distinguish between their infectious and non-infectious states. The project plan focuses on two developments needed for commercial viability beyond the team’s existing proof-of-principle studies: 1) The integration of the membrane-based sensor into a hand-operated microfluidic device with an obvious colorimetric readout, and 2) The demonstration that membrane ensing can be generalized for detection of different pathogens/variants by optimizing pore size and antigen recognition. To accomplish these objectives, the PFI team put together a multi-institutional team including academia and industry. This team will fabricate versatile microfluidic devices using PET laminates (PETL) and other low-tech materials to create a device simple enough to be operated in the home. In parallel studies, the design principles needed to detect both large and small pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity will be established. Success in both tasks are expected to result in prototypes and workflows enabling the rapid detection of a range of infectious agents in a simple-to-use test format.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.