Demonstrating the potential for portable detection of bird flu.

该项目旨在提供对未经处理的生物样本进行早期现场直接测试的能力，例如拭子和血液，以检测经济上重要的兽医病原体，在这种情况下，对从禽鸟喙和泄殖腔采集的拭子样本进行筛查，以检测“禽流感”。最初，我们的目标是支持现有的实验室测试，并最终探索将测试转移到现场或农场的可能性。BG Research开发了一种新的方法和仪器，用于执行敏感的现场分子诊断测试，以检测病毒，而不需要专家科学家或将样本运送到测试实验室，并利用黄金标准的PCR测试方法。可以在入境口岸、农场或屠宰场进行检测，以防止疾病输入，以支持监测/检疫和紧急反应。通过在需要的地方进行快速、敏感和具有成本效益的检测，BGR技术可以帮助保护英国，防止可能在入境点输入的传染病，并在入侵需要快速疾病反应活动的情况下加快疫情反应。例如，口蹄疫在英国的爆发使英国经济损失了100亿GB，而新冠肺炎被认为是源于野生动物。这项技术可以帮助Defra更有效地监测跨界兽医疾病，并提供实时数据，为控制这些疾病做出贡献，减少未来爆发的社会经济影响。我们将把该平台从基于实验室的技术演示开发为能够离电网运行的后期原型，并将技术推向预期的便携式检测市场。测试开发评估将在动植物卫生局(APHA)进行，那里有处理这些病原体所需的必要科学专门知识和设施。在过去的几年里，禽流感一直在新闻中不断出现，在此期间，超过850万只英国禽类被遗失/扑杀，消费者从超市里没有鸡蛋和圣诞节缺少火鸡的情况中看到了这一影响。像这样的新工具可以帮助未来的疫情管理--减少经济负担，降低禽流感成为人类病原体的风险。平台和相关的验证测试将在英国进行，并由BG在全球销售，支持英国生命科学和供应链的增长和就业，同时确保英国更好地准备应对未来重要人类和动物病原体的流行病。

Project aim is to provide capability for early in-field direct testing of unprocessed biological samples e.g. swabs and blood for economically important veterinary pathogens, in this case screening swab samples taken from the beaks and cloaca of birds for detecting "bird flu". Initially we aim to support existing lab testing and ultimately explore the potential for moving tests into the field or farm.BG Research have developed a novel method and instrument for performing sensitive in-field molecular diagnostic tests for the detection of viruses without the requirement for expert scientists or shipping of samples to a test-lab and utilising the gold-standard PCR test methodology. Tests could be performed at ports of entry to prevent diseases being imported, on farms or at slaughterhouses to support surveillance/quarantine and emergency response.By performing rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective tests wherever required, the BGR technology could help protect the UK by preventing potential importation of infectious diseases at entry points and expedite outbreak response where incursions require rapid disease response activities. For example, the outbreaks of FMD in the UK cost the economy £10bn and COVID-19 is thought to have originated from wildlife. Such technology could assist Defra to more effectively monitor transboundary veterinary diseases and provide real-time data to contribute to the control of these diseases, reducing the socio-economic impacts of future outbreaks.We will develop the platform from a lab-based technology demonstrator into a late-stage prototype capable of being operated off-grid and moving the technology closer to the intended portable testing market. Test development assessment will be undertaken at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) where the necessary scientific expertise and facilities required to work with these pathogens are available. Bird flu has been in the news continually for the past few years and over 8.5 million UK birds have been lost/culled in that period, the impact of this has been seen by the consumer by the lack of eggs in the supermarket and turkeys for Christmas. A novel tool such as this could assist in future outbreak management -- reducing the economic burden and reducing the risk of bird flu becoming a human pathogen.The platform and associated validated tests would be made in the UK and marketed globally by BG, supporting growth and employment in UK Life Sciences and supply chains, while ensuring the UK is better prepared to respond to future epidemics of important human and animal pathogens.