Rapid ATP-Glow for Biological Decontamination Efficacy Test

Not Available "A plate count method has been traditionally used to determine the effectiveness of anti-microbial agents in decontamination efficacy testing. This method requires large amounts of microbiological growth media and takes several days to produce results.Maxwell Sensors Inc. (MSI) and Office of Homeland Security at Southern Research Institute (SRI) propose to develop a rapid quantitative platform and assay based on cellular ATP-Glow mechanism for determining the efficacy of biological warfare agents (BWA)decontamination. The proposed ATP-Glow testing platform can quickly (< 30 minutes) and sensitively (5 - 15 cells per well) identify pathogens, accurately determine cell growth/death ratio, and be capable of simultaneously handling multiple samples. Thisinnovative BWA-ATP-Glow system combines the technologies of: (1) immuno-magnetic beads for BWA identification, (2) cellular ATP reduction and bioluminescence for viable cell analysis, and (3) microfluidics for automating assay process. The combinedtechnologies provide the ability to determine the efficacy of decontamination methods with speed, specificity, sensitivity, and ease of operation. The proposed technology can be utilized in biological sample processing for rapid identification ofbio-warfare agents in a given environment, and for monitoring the efficacy of the disinfection method(s) employed. Commercial applications for the proposed technology are most apparent in the Pharmaceutical Industry for developing antibiotics and otherantimicrobials."