ORBITEC, IN COLLABORATION WITH LUCIGEN, PROPOSES A RAPID GENETIC DETECTOR FOR SPACEFLIGHT WATER SYSTEMS TO…

Public award description

ORBITEC, IN COLLABORATION WITH LUCIGEN, PROPOSES A RAPID GENETIC DETECTOR FOR SPACEFLIGHT WATER SYSTEMS TO ENABLE REAL-TIME DETECTION OF E. COLI WITH MINIMAL CONSUMABLES AND CREW TIME. THE RAPID COLIFORM DETECTOR (RCD) AMPLIFIES THE GENETIC MATERIAL IN A LIQUID SAMPLE TO ALLOW NEAR REAL-TIME IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC GENETIC SEQUENCES, IN THIS CASE, THAT OF E. COLI. THIS EASY-TO-USE DEVICE INCORPORATES A PATENTED POLYMERASE ENZYME THAT ENABLES RAPID RNA AMPLIFICATION BY REAGENTS WITH SUPERIOR LONG-TERM SHELF LIFE AND THERMAL STABILITY. A COLOR CHANGE INDICATOR WILL SHOW THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF COLIFORM BACTERIA IN THE WATER WITHIN 30 MINUTES. THE RESULTS OF THE PHASE 1 WILL BE TEST DATA FROM PROTOTYPE TEST KITS AND CHEMICAL REAGENTS FOR RAPID COLIFORM DETECTION WHICH BRINGS THE RCD TO TRL 4. THE ANTICIPATED RESULTS OF THE PHASE 2 ARE A FLIGHT-LIKE PROTOTYPE OF THE COMPLETE TEST KIT AND REACTION CHAMBER, PERFORMANCE TEST RESULTS AT 1G, AND REDUCED GRAVITY OPERATIONAL TEST RESULTS, WHICH BRING THE TECHNOLOGY TO TRL 6.