DIAGNOSIS OF NATURAL AND INDUCED DISEASES OF MILITARY IMPORTANCE

PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION (POC) IS PROPOSING A COMPLETELY NEW HIV TEST WHICH IS BASED ON A HIGHLY SENSITIVE LIGAND RECEPTOR BINDING STUDY DEVELOPED AT POC. IN THIS PROGRAM, THE FEASIBILITY OF DESIGNING A POLARIZATION FLUORIMETER DEVICE FOR AIDS VIRUS DETECTION WILL BE INVESTIGATED, AS WILL A METHOD OF MEASURMENT USING THE DEVICE. SUCH A DEVICE SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF IDENTIFYING THE AGENT WITH A HIGH ACCURACY AND WITH REPRODUCIBLE RESULTS. IT SHOULD ALSO BE INEXPENSIVE, SIMPLE AND PORTABLE FOR USE IN PHYSICIANS OFFICES, SMALL DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORIES AND HOSPITALS. MATTERS TO BE INTENSIVELY STUDIED WITHIN THE TIME FRAME OF PHASE I INCLUDE DEVICE DESIGN, OPTO-ELECTRONIC ELEMENT REQUIREMENTS, REPRODUCIBILITY AND THE ACCURACY OF THE MEASURMENTS. FLUORESCENT ANALYSIS OF A PEPIDANTIBODY REACTION IS VERY SENSITIVE AND FAST AND THE POLARIZATION METHOD PROVIDES A QUALITATIVE RESULT. BASED ON POC'S HOLOGRAPHIC FILTERS, POLARIZERS AND PLANAR WAVE GUIDES FABRICATED IN POC'S LABORATORY, VERY COMPACT CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH A DEVICE IS POSSIBLE. ALSO, DUE TO THE LOW COST OF HOLOGRAPHIC OPTICAL ELEMENTS AND LIGHT SOURCES, THE GOAL OF COST EFFECTIVENESS WILL BE ACHIEVED. THE NUMERICAL RESULTS YIELDED BY THIS TEST WILL MAKE THE DEVICE AND METHOD SIMPLE TO USE, EVEN FOR INEXPERIENCED PERSONNEL.