Pen-Side Multi-Pooled Diagnostics With Centrifugal Microfluidics For Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a significant cause of morbidity in beef cattle and costs the U.S. beef cattle industry $1.5 to 2.5 billion annually. BVDV decreases herd productivity and increases beef prices for consumers. It is therefore necessary to manage and ideally eradicate BVDV in beef cattle herds. Screening entire herds for the virus is necessary for eradication, especially since cattle can be persistently infected with BVDV and show minimal or no symptoms. However, there are no commercialized BVDV tests that are rapid, user-friendly, and capable of mass screening.Our project's goal is to innovate a diagnostic kit called SpinTest BVDV, which enables simultaneous testing of over one hundred cattle with high accuracy in less than an hour. Our core technology is a cutting-edge, lab-on-a-chip which would enable any rancher or veterinarian to perform advanced diagnostics on the farm with easy-to-read results. SpinTest BVDV will be commercialized: it will decrease disease screening workloads and costs for cattle ranchers, improve cattle productivity, and promote animal well-being. This equates to higher quality beef at lower prices for U.S. consumers and improved U.S. agricultural security.