DIAGNOSIS OF NATURAL AND INDUCED DISEASES OF MILITARY IMPORTANCE

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A SIMPLE, PORTABLE, ONE-STEP ASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE AND INFLUENZA A WHICH CAN BE PERFORMED INDEPENDENT OF A SOPHISTICATED LABORATORY BY UNTRAINED OR SEMI-SKILLED PERSONNEL. THIS SIMPLE, ONE-STEP METHOD IS CALLED AN OPTICAL BIOASSAY (OBA) AND UTILIZES AN INEXPENSIVE LASER AND PHOTODETECTOR TO DETECT AN ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY BINDING EVENT. ANTIBODY IS COVALENTLY ATTACHED TO A SILICON SURFACE AND TREATED WITH A PROPRIETARY PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE TO PRODUCE ALTERNATING ROWS OF IMMUNOREACTIVE AND NON-IMMUNOREACTIVE ANTIBODY. WHEN A NARROW LASER LIGHT BEAM IS DIRECTED AT THE ANTIBODY COATED SILICON SURFACE, THE LIGHT IS REFLECTED AT ITS INCIDENT ANGLE WITHOUT DIFFRACTION. WHEN ANTIGEN BINDS TO THE IMMUNOREACTIVE (BUT NOT TO THE NONIMMUNOREACTIVE ANTIBODY) A BIOLOGICAL GRID IS CREATED. WHEN LIGHT IS DIRECTED AT THE REACTED SURFACE, THE BIOLOGICAL GRID PRODUCES A DIFFRACTION SIGNAL WHICH IS EASILY DETECTED WITH THE INTENSITY OF THE DIFFRACTION BEING PROPORTIONAL TO THE NUMBER OF SPECIFIC ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY EVENTS ON THE CHIP. FINALLY, THE SOPHISTICATED BUT SIMPLE SYNTHESIS OF MICROELECTRONICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY MAKES THIS IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM EXTREMELY PORTABLE AND SUITABLE FOR USE IN NON-LABORATORY SETTINGS SUCH AS PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE OR FIELD TESTING.