FLASH Contaminant Sensing Interrogator (FLASH-CSI)

Bioreactors output nucleic acid or protein products that are complex macromolecular fluids. As such, it becomes challenging to discern whether sparse contaminant entities reside within this complex background.  Traditional mechanisms of detecting microbe contamination require time consuming and destructive methods with reagents, assay and plating procedures. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for the Department of Defense (DoD) to optimize production of life-saving therapeutics and vaccines.  HNu Photonics specializes in the creation, fabrication, and implementation of innovative technologies at the forefront of life science research on the International Space Station. HNu’s on-orbit projects have resulted in a variety of techniques and technologies that benefit human endeavors in space and on the ground. The proposed work will harness our existing space-based technology (automated microscopy and microfluidics) to develop a rapid, non-invasive, and automated sterility testing platform for biological materials, FLASH Contaminant Sensing Interrogator (FLASH-CSI).  FLASH-CSI will complement DoD efforts by rapidly detecting contaminates within biological processes (antibody or vaccine production) with a non-invasive, triple redundant optical detector.  FLASH-CSI is a disruptive technology designed to be an automated contaminate detection facility with a miniaturized footprint to be quickly implemented into existing, remote, or mobile production facilities.