Award Abstract #0215384
Miniaturized Portable Flow-Through Amperometric Immunosensor Device for Fast Field Analysis of Rodent Viruses

NSF Org:	DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure
Initial Amendment Date:	June 28, 2002
Latest Amendment Date:	September 5, 2006
Award Number:	0215384
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Helen G. Hansma DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	September 1, 2002
Expires:	August 31, 2006 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$389933
Investigator(s):	Plamen Atanassov plamen@unm.edu (Principal Investigator) Ebtisam Wilkins (Former Principal Investigator) Terry Yates (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of New Mexico 1700 Lomas Blvd. NE ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87131 505/277-4186
NSF Program(s):	MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION
Field Application(s):
Program Reference Code(s):	BIOT, 9184
Program Element Code(s):	1189

ABSTRACT

A grant has been awarded to University of New Mexico to develop a prototype sensor to detect hantavirus infections in field. It will be a rapid, hand held, automated device, which gives a quantitative determination of viral infections in small mammals. As a result of this development several functioning devices will be tested in field conditions. Currently samples from wild populations must be collected in the field and returned to the laboratory for testing, often taking days or weeks. The work initially will be focused on the optimization of a sensor for fast (10-20 min) determination of viral infections in the field and will be extended towards the development of an automated portable system to be used in field stations or other remote sites. The next stage of the research will include miniaturization of a portable system and developed for rapid on-site determination of the viral infection in mammal samples in field research environments anywhere rapid viral detection is needed.

The work will include the evaluation of the disposable sensing element, optimization of sensor column assembly and flow-injection system, engineering of the prototype of the sensor, optimization of the assay procedure and determination of optimal time for incubation, flow rates and temperature, development of fast assay for hantavirus infections in blood samples, characterization and validation of the assay procedure and comparing it with the conventional techniques. Further work would include the miniaturization of the existing manually operated device and make it automated. To accomplish this task a micro-controller, micro pump, disposable sensing element and a battery system will be used.

This project brings together a multidisciplinary team from the University of New Mexico's (UNM) Department of Biology, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering and Department of Microbiology to develop the proposed instrumentation. Conventional techniques for determination of viral infections (immunoblot) are qualitative, require relatively long process times (24 hours) and must be conducted under laboratory conditions. The awarded research will result in a sensor, which can be used in cases when the application of conventional immunoassay techniques is limited or impossible. The sensor will be developed using disposable flow electrodes and is a means to conduct fast assay for hantavirus infection with an electrochemical detection. Therefore, while employing different available immunochemicals, a variety of disposable elements can be designed for different kind of infections. The resulting device from this project can be used for fast analyses of other viruses or metabolites under field conditions, in mobile units and may be applicable to detection of certain biological weapons. The sensors can also be used for rapid analyses in conventional conditions of biological, physiological and analytical practices. The University of New Mexico is a Hispanic serving institution. A summer NIH/NSF workshop to attract minority and underrepresented students will be applied.

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