Rapid Determination of Viability of Anthrax Spores

描述(由申请人提供)：微纳系统技术在广泛的生物医学应用中得到了越来越多的使用，包括对生物实体的检测和表征。用于此类应用的设备被广泛地称为生物芯片，例如在DNA检测的情况下，甚至已经商业化。一个已经变得越来越重要但研究得不是很好的研究领域是使用生物医学微电子机械系统技术(BioMEMS)处理、操纵和表征极少数细胞和微生物。从体液、组织样本、土壤、水和食物样本中检测极低的细胞浓度是一项尚未完全实现的挑战。这种努力的目标应该是处理、检测和表征单个细胞或微生物，而微型设备非常适合于这样的研究。此外，减少能够执行“使用点”分析的结果时间也是非常重要的。这种努力不仅可以产生非常重要的科学成果，而且还可以立即用于卫生和食品工业以及生物战和灾害预防系统的实际诊断应用。 该项目汇集了来自微/纳米系统技术和微生物学领域的具有炭疽芽孢杆菌(炭疽)知识的跨学科研究人员，以进一步发展炭疽芽孢杆菌微尺度检测和鉴定的最新技术。这里发展的知识也将适用于其他微生物。私人投资机构开发了新的技术，作为继续进行最先进研究的基础和起点。将开发微型设备，在有机体的一个加倍周期内快速检测孢子萌发时的活力，提供电子输出。这些设备还将配备内置电子过滤器，以在检测地点浓缩生物芯片内的孢子和细胞。同时，将进行生物学分析以鉴定孢子壳蛋白，特别是那些对炭疽芽胞新发现的蛋白。这些蛋白质是表面定位的，因此对孢子检测很有用。最终的系统被设想为只捕获使用这些表面蛋白受体的生物芯片内感兴趣的孢子或病原体，将这些微生物集中在这个芯片中，并以电子方式检测它们的活力和萌发，同时将总时间减少到任何其他技术所不可能达到的水平。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Micro- and nano-systems technology has found increasing use in a wide variety of biomedical applications, including detection and characterization of biological entities. The devices used for such applications are broadly referred to as 'bio-chips' and for example in the case of DNA detection, have even been commercialized. One area of research that has become increasingly important but not very well studied is the handling, manipulation, and characterization of very few cells and micro-organisms using biomedical micro-electro-mechanical-systems technology (BioMEMS). The detection of very low cell concentrations from samples of bodily fluids, tissue samples, soil, water, and food is a challenge that has not been fully realized. The goal of such an effort should be to handle, detect, and characterize a single cell or microorganism, and micro-devices are ideally suited for such studies. In addition, reducing the time-to-result to be able to perform "point-of-use" analysis is also very important. Such endeavors can not only yield very important scientific results but can also be used immediately in practical diagnostic applications in the health and food industry and in biological warfare and hazard prevention systems. This project brings together interdisciplinary researchers from the fields of micro/nano-systems technology and microbiology with the knowledge of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) to further the state-of-the-art in micro-scale detection and identification of Bacillus anthracis. The knowledge developed herein will also apply to other microorganisms. The PIs have developed novel technologies that serve as the basis and starting point for continued state-of-the-art research. Micro-devices will be developed to rapidly detect the viability of the spores upon germination within one doubling cycle of the organisms, providing an electronic output. The devices will also have built-in electronic filters to concentrate the spores and cells inside the biochips at the detection sites. In parallel, biological analysis will be performed to identify the spore coat proteins, especially those novel to B. anthracis spores. These proteins are surface localized and thus useful for spore detection. The eventual system is envisioned to capture only the spores or pathogens of interested inside the bio-chips using these surface protein receptors, concentrate these microorganisms inside this chip, and electronically detect their viability and germination, while reducing the total time to result to less than possible by any other technology.