SBIR Phase I: A Diagnostic Device for Bacterial Detection

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop a simple general test strip that can be broadly used for the detection and characterization of bacteria such as pathogens and drug-resistant organisms. The project is expected to result in a prototype low-cost device for rapid and specific characterization of bacteria. The product will take the form similar to that of a home pregnancy test and will be ideal for immediate point-of-care diagnoses. There is no such general product currently on the market and commercial potential is deemed high. The proposed diagnostic platform will be versatile and broadly applicable for different applications. The proposed project is to deliver a low-cost, simple, handheld product that gives a rapid and accurate visible colorimetric indication (Yes or NO answer similar to a pregnancy home test strip) of bacteria relevant to disease, biowarfare concerns, environmental contamination, and the food chain. There is a need for a rapid, simple and inexpensive point-of-care test, especially in hospital ICU?s where there is a high risk and frequency of getting infection from sick patients who have compromised immune systems. The detection platform is versatile and applicable to a large array of microbial infections, and has multiple applications in clinical and non-clinical setting. It is intended to transform the way pathogens are detected in the professional and consumer markets. The proposal seeks to develop the design principles and fashioning of practical devices to achieve a rapid diagnostic kit for identification of bacteria using human samples.