CHIMERIC MAB FOR PROPHYLAXIS OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL SEPSIS

Not Available A sonobuoy is a remote, floating reconnaissance sensor that can be launched far from the site of interest and can report back information to remote observers on land or on vessels. MesoSystems Technology, Inc. proposes to collaborate with Johns Hopkins University-Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU_APL) to produce an unattended chemical and biological sensor based on mass spectrometry in a sonobuoy. The chemical sensor approach builds on the significant amount of research performed there to date on the identification of vapor species by ion-mobility mass spectrometry. The biological sensor approach is based on recent developments by JHU-APL concerning matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. While the chemical sensor approach has a long history, MALDI has only recently been applied to the rapid screening of bio-pathogens. The integration of aerosol collectors, MALDI detection, and the somobuoy platform is of interest because it would have 7 Low sample volume requirements (less than I microliter of fluid) ? Rapid analysis time (< 1 minute per sample) ? Fingerprint identification of bacteria and spores has been made by the comparison of pure cultures and simple microbial mixtures against a library of known MALDI spectra. BENEFITS: The chemical and biological warfare detection sonobuoy platform will prove to be a useful and life-saving defense technology by keeping armed forces far from sites where chemical and biological agents are suspected.