Point-of-Need Microfluidic Biosensor for Detecting Airborne Viruses using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers: Towards COVID 19 Virus Monitoring

该项目是约克大学、工业技术中心(CTRI)和第六波创新公司(SIXW)的合作伙伴关系。这一伙伴关系的目标是开发便携式和低成本技术的组成部分，用于快速和现场空气采样，并检测室内和室外环境中的气雾剂和微滴包裹的病毒。 病毒捕获将由分子印迹聚合物(MIP)在合作伙伴公司SIXW的广泛专业知识下完成。MIPS是一种坚固的材料，具有预制的纳米腔，可以捕获目标物体，如本项目中的病毒。为此，将设计和优化用于本体结合的MIP微粒子和用于电极涂层和病毒表面固定的纳米粒子。在便携式微流控装置中，MIP微粒-病毒偶联物将被被动地分选和分离。最后，片上病毒捕获，标记检测标签。定量检测将使用手机成像和图像处理以热量计量的方式进行。 该项目将导致创新的科学研究，从概念到概念验证阶段的研究动员，以及实验室规模的样品制备和病毒检测设备的开发和集成。这些集成的样品制备和检测系统将是便携的、易于操作的、敏感的，供检查员、企业、医院、特殊护理中心和参与决策的警察部队未来使用，以应对与空气传播的病原体暴发和流行病相关的各种挑战。一名博士后研究员和两名研究生将在这个项目中接受培训，并参与加拿大的科学出版物和知识产权的产生。

This project is a partnership between York University, Centre Technologique des Residus Industriels (CTRI), and Sixth Wave Innovation Inc. (SIXW). The goal of this partnership is to develop components of a portable and low-cost technology for rapid and on-site air sampling and detection of aerosol and droplet-encapsulated viruses in indoor and outdoor environments. Virus capturing will be done by Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) under the extensive expertise of the partner company, SIXW. MIPs are robust materials with pre-made nano-cavities that can capture target objects such as viruses in this project. For this, MIP-based microparticles for bulk conjugation and nanoparticles for electrode coating and surface immobilization of viruses will be designed and optimized. MIP microparticle-virus conjugates will be sorted and separated passively in portable microfluidic devices. Finally, on-chip virus capturing, tagging with detection labels. and quantitative detection will be performed calorimetrically using cellphone imaging and image processing. This project will result in innovative scientific research, mobilization of research from conception to proof of concept stage, and lab-scale development and integration of sample preparation and virus detection devices. These integrated sample preparation and detection systems will be portable, easy to operate, and sensitive for future use by inspectors, businesses, hospitals, special care centers, and police force involved in decision-making to address various challenges associated with airborne pathogen outbreaks and pandemics. One postdoctoral fellow and two graduate students will be trained in this project and participate in scientific publications and generation of intellectual property in Canada.