Portable Direct Immunoassay Diagnosis Devices for Animals and Humans (PDIDDAH)

本项目的目的是开发一种新型的便携式设备，用于快速和灵敏地检测主要与牲畜疾病相关的病毒和细菌。如果成功的话，这种设备应该允许在比传统方法更早的阶段检测到感染，允许更有效地实施感染控制措施，并最大限度地减少疾病的经济影响。该装置的最初目标是口蹄疫病毒，正如最近在英国所证明的那样，口蹄疫病毒的爆发可能会造成经济上的破坏。然后，该技术有望扩展到动物和人类公共卫生部门中其他感兴趣病原体的快速检测，例如孢子形成生物体（B. anthracis，C. difficile）和其他细菌（MRSA等）和病毒（H5N1、人流感等）。支持该项目的技术是基于新型光子纳米器件，采用激光，光纤，光动力学和光谱技术，与使用微流体和电捕获技术的液体和空气样品收集设备集成。基本上，传感器装置采用来自光子检测芯片的光学信号的电子分析来识别生物结合事件（即，感兴趣的抗体和抗原之间）并用于数据捕获和传输。在生物技术研究所进行的工作重点将是该项目的生物学方面，开发和优化感兴趣的目标的测定程序。将通过将该技术与现有技术（ELISA、PCR技术等）进行比较来验证最终器械。以及空气和液体样本的现场测试。

The purpose of this project is to develop a novel portable device for rapid and sensitive detection of viruses and bacteria associated principally with disease of livestock. If successful, this device should permit the detection of infection at an earlier stage than conventional methodologies, permitting more effective implementation of infection control measures and minimising the economic impact of the disease. The initial target for the device is foot and mouth virus, outbreaks of which can be economically devastating, as evidenced in the UK recently. The technology is then expected to be extended for rapid testing of other pathogens of interest, both in animal and human public health sectors e.g. spore forming organisms (B. anthracis, C. difficile), and other bacteria (MRSA etc.) and viruses (H5N1, human influenza etc). The technology that underpins the project is based upon novel photonic nanodevices that employ lasers, optical fibres, photodynamic and spectroscopic techniques, integrated with liquid and airborne sample collection devices that use microfluidic and electrical entrapment techniques. Essentially, the sensor device employs electronic analysis of the optical signal from the photonic detection chip to recognise biological binding events (i.e. between antibodies and antigens of interest) and for data capture and transmission. The focus of work conducted at the Institute of Biotechnology will be on the biological aspects of the project, developing and optimising assay procedures for the targets of interest. The final device will be verified by comparing the technology to existing technologies (ELISA's, PCR techniques etc.) and by live testing of both air- and liquid-borne samples.