DNAPrint: a pathogen-tracking paper sensor platform that integrates functional DNA with nanomaterials

许多人类疾病都与涉及各种病原体的感染有关。此外，越来越多的生物恐怖主义风险对公共安全和安保构成持续威胁。此外，抗药性“超级细菌”的快速进化正成为一个紧迫的全球问题。人们已经认识到，早期和准确的病原体检测是防止大规模疫情爆发的重要战略。因此，设计简单的生物传感器用于快速和灵敏的病原体检测对于基础研究和技术创新具有重要的战略意义。我们建议开发“DNAPrint”，这是一种新型的石蕊纸状传感器设备，使用生物/纳米材料墨水(生物墨水)打印，以实现快速和准确的细菌病原体检测。我们将专注于针对致命的环境病原体军团菌肺炎的DNAPrint技术的开发。嗜肺军团菌可在许多天然和人造水源中发现，如温泉、冷却塔、游泳池和家庭供水系统。它在加拿大和世界各地频繁爆发，目前的检测方法不适合现场应用--这是因为这些方法复杂，需要特殊设备，需要数天时间才能做出决定性决定。建议的DNAPrint技术具有可打印的、便携的、石蕊纸状的纸质传感器，其设计可以在短短几分钟内产生结果。该项目有可能开发一种有吸引力的平台技术，使加拿大处于这一具有重要战略意义的领域的前沿。为了达到这一目标，我们组建了一个由三个学术小组和三个工业伙伴组成的多学科小组，他们拥有开展拟议工作所需的所有专业知识。

Many human diseases are linked to infections involving various pathogens. In addition, growing risks of bioterrorism pose on-going threats to public safety and security. Moreover, rapid evolution of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" is becoming a pressing global concern. It has been recognized that early and accurate pathogen detection represents a vital strategy to prevent large-scale outbreaks. For this reason, engineering simple biosensors for rapid and sensitive pathogen detection represents a strategically important area for fundamental research and technological innovations. We propose to develop "DNAPrint", a novel litmus paper-like sensor device printed with a bio/nanomaterial ink (bioink) to enable rapid and accurate detection of bacterial pathogens. We will focus on the development of DNAPrint technology for Legionella pneumophila, a deadly environmental pathogen. Legionella pneumophila can be found in many natural and man-made water sources such as hot springs, cooling towers, swimming pools, and domestic water systems. It has caused frequent outbreaks in Canada and around the world, and current detection methods are inadequate for field applications - this is because these methods are complicated, need special equipment, and take days to reach conclusive decisions. The proposed DNAPrint technology features printable, portable, litmus paper-like paper sensors that are designed to generate results in as short as a few minutes. This project has the potential to develop an attractive platform technology that places Canada at the forefront of this strategically important area. Towards this goal, we have assembled a multidisciplinary team of three academic groups and three industrial partners that have all the necessary expertise to carry out the proposed work.