TIGER Biosensor for Broad Viral Detection and Genetically Engineered Microbes

We propose to adapt the TIGER universal biosensor to identify viruses present in blood samples. The advantages of the TIGER biosensor include: (1) rapid analysis of a sample; (2) a high, continuous throughput rate; (3) ability to identify and phylogenetically classify a heretofore unknown virus; (4) the power to strain-type a virus when strain specific sequence data are available for the species, and (5) ability to simultaneously identify the presence of multiple viral agents in a sample and report the quantity of each. Further, a modified TIGER protocol can also be used to detect presence of genetically modified viruses. These features make TIGER the ideal universal virus identification system for blood supply monitoring for the army. While expanding the scope of organisms routinely screened in donated blood has great value in its own right, the crucial benefit from this proposal will be to provide the army with the ability to assure the safety and security of the blood supply during rapidly developing crisis situations due to a newly emerging infectious disease or a bioterrorist attack