A Multistep, Integrated System for Identifying Individual Biological Particles

Small numbers of biological particles can be a serious threat as warfare agents and health hazards due to their ability to rapidly multiply. Therefore, accurate and rapid identification of low biohazard concentrations would be useful for early battlefield warning systems, cleanup and surveillance of production facilities, and frontline medical diagnoses. Current methods are not accurate due to reaction kinetics, sensitivity limits and false positives caused by environmental interferants. The facilities that come the closest to routine identification of very low numbers of biological particles in environmental samples are the clinical and forensic laboratories that apply a succession of sample processing steps. Building upon these successful but equipment and time-intensive methods, this proposal describes a compact, integrated system of advanced filtration, concentration, antibody assays and long wavelength fluorescence detection designed to achieve accurate and rapid single particle identification. In order to demonstrate commercial feasibility, the Phase I technical objectives are: a) filter and concentrate a narrow size range of particles, b) fluorescently detect a specific, rapid (10-15 minute) sandwich immunoassay in a small volume reaction cell, and c) design the necessary improvements for a fieldable instrument to be fabricated and tested within approximately 2 years. BENEFITS: The benefits from successful development would be the ability to identify biological substances at extremely low concentrations within approximately 15 minutes or less. commercial applications for this single particle identifier would include early stage medical diagnosis, food processing, and environmental monitoring for herbicides and pesticides. The instrumentation could also be applied to forensic identification of controlled biological agents, or industrial safety monitoring when hazardous or regulated biochemistry is being performed.