Rapid Microbial Detection and Monitoring Technology for Planetary Protection

HJ Science amp; Technology Inc. proposes to develop a fully integrated and automated instrument for performing rapid detection and monitoring of microbes on surfaces and air environments. This technology supports NASArsquo;s Planetary Protection goals of protecting solar system bodies from biological contamination as well as protecting Earth from life forms possibly returned from those extraterrestrial bodies. Specifically, the proposed instrument autonomously and rapidly enumerates bioburden on surface and air environments of cleanrooms, spacecrafts, and payload hardware. In addition to measuring the total number of microbes, the instrument distinguishes between microbe states, such as viable organisms or spores, relevant in Planetary Protection practices. This instrument stems from our novel ChargeSwitch Concentration and Purification (CSCP) technology that bridges the gap between large volume sample processing and small volume genomic detection without sacrificing cell capture efficiency. In Phase I, we will integrate our previously developed CSCP prototype with sample processing and qPCR to quantify microbes on surface and air environments, as well as to differentiate between viable organisms and spores within the sample. In Phase II, we will construct and deliver a fully integrated prototype for autonomous microbial monitoring.