PIEZOELECTRIC IMMUNOSENSOR FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF T B

拟议中的研究将继续发展压电 免疫传感器可能用于诊断结核病（TB）， 其他分枝杆菌感染。 结核病已被宣布为全球 突发公共卫生事件，是一种常见的、严重的机会性事件， 感染艾滋病的病人。 液体和液体中检测分枝杆菌抗原的可行性 汽相已被证明与原型压电 免疫传感器 气相检测表明， 呼气中的分枝杆菌抗原可以允许快速，现场 筛查肺结核高危人群。 液相 检测将允许快速诊断分枝杆菌感染 临床样本如痰、唾液、支气管肺泡灌洗液， 血清、滑液和脑脊液。 研究将继续进行 到实际临床样品中的抗原检测， 灵敏度，进一步的设备开发和初步临床试验。 这项工作的长期目标是开发具有临床价值的， 用于筛选和诊断的商业上可行的生物传感器 包括结核病在内的分枝杆菌感染。 建议的商业应用：结核病仍然是一个极端 世界许多地区严重的健康问题， 这个国家为开发一种快速方法提供了额外的动力， 诊断。 第一阶段研制的压电免疫传感器 代表了解决这个问题的一种全新的技术方法， 与现有技术相比的潜在优势。 压电生物传感器 提供了极大的灵敏度、响应速度和便携性， 使用. S&P Medical希望为原型的主要功能申请专利， 有兴趣与一家更大的公司共同追求最终的 该研究所产生的设备的商业化。

The proposed research would continue the development of a piezoelectric immunosensor potentially useful for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and other mycobacterial infections. Tuberculosis has been declared a global public health emergency, and is a common and serious opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS. The feasibility of detecting mycobacterial antigens in both liquid and vapor phases has been demonstrated with a prototype piezoelectric immunosensor. Vapor phase detection suggests that detection of mycobacterial antigens in expired breath may permit rapid, on-site screening of high risk populations for pulmonary TB. Liquid phase detection will permit rapid diagnosis of mycobacterial infections from clinical specimens such as sputum, saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, serum, synovial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid. Research will now proceed to antigen detection in actual clinical samples, improvements in sensitivity, further device development, and preliminary clinical testing. The long-term objective of the work is to develop clinically valuable, commercially viable biosensors for screening and diagnosis of mycobacterial infections, including TB. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Tuberculosis remains an extremely serious health problem in many parts of the world, and its resurgence in this country lends additional impetus to efforts to develop a rapid method of diagnosis. The piezoelectric immunosensor developed in Phase I represents an entirely novel technological approach to this problem, with potential advantages over existing technology. Piezoelectric biosensors offer great sensitivity, rapidity of response, and portability for field use. S&P Medical expects to patent major features of the prototype, and has interested a larger corporation in jointly pursuing the final commercialization of the devices resulting from this research.