Mobile Peripheral Device for Biological Analysis

This research effort will lead to the development of a field-portable biosensor that can be powered and operated by mobile electronic devices, such as PDAs or palm-top computers. The need for such a detection system is being driven by the continuing threat of terrorist attacks with biological agents, as well as the need for portable diagnostics for military personnel and first responders. Detecting biological organisms more rapidly will make it possible to prevent wide dissemination of disease and the possibility of a large-scale outbreak. By automating the complicated manual handling steps of current diagnostic techniques, this should greatly simplify the diagnostic/detection procedure. The system will require the initial input of sample, but will perform the rest of the operations automatically. This will create a detection system that can be utilized by non-technical personnel to test for the presence of target organisms that does not require complicated sample preparation. This simplification of the diagnostic process will make it possible for the detection of organisms on-site and will facilitate rapid corrective action to prevent the spread of disease. The diagnostic system will be developed as a ¿plug and play¿ accessory that can be easily attached to a variety of existing PDA systems.