Interferometric Reflectance Imaging Sensor for Rapid Multiplexed Biothreat Detection

Physical Sciences Inc., in collaboration with iRiS Kinetics Inc., will develop a compact and fieldable sensor for the rapid multiplexed detection and presumptive identification of biological threats. The proposed platform is versatile and can simultaneously detect bacterial, viral and toxin threats in diverse environmental samples. The technology will provide highly sensitive and specific multiplexed biothreat detection in less than 1 hr., with greater than 90 percent precision and accuracy. The sensor requires no specialized material or reagent storage and will fill a critical unmet need in biological defense by providing fast and accurate detection with exquisite sensitivity in a compact, ruggedized package. The feasibility of the proposed concept was demonstrated in the Phase I program, and a conceptual design for a fieldable prototype sensor was developed. The Phase II program will build off the work conducted in Phase I to design and assemble fieldable sensor prototype sensors and demonstrate their detection performance. In particular, four prototype sensors will be developed during the program and tested to demonstrate end-to-end functionality in both laboratory and operationally relevant environments. Based on the Phase I work, the fully functional prototype sensors will achieve 5-plexed detection against samples containing one or more biothreat simulants within 1 hour with limits of detection of 100 CFU per mL (bacteria), 500 PFU per mL (viruses), and 1 ng per mL (toxins).