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Principal Investigator: Dr. David Russell
Contact Information: E-mail: dgr8@cornell.edu - Phone: 607-253-3401
Sponsor: Cornell Center for Advanced Technology
Grant Number: N/A
Title: On-Chip Microwave Pathogen Detection
Annual Direct Cost: $34,500
Project Period: 09/01/05-06/30/06
Past work in the laboratory has led to the identification and characterization of a range of moieties synthesized by the pathogens Leishmania and Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are key to the establishment and maintenance of infection. Several of these proteins and lipidoglycans are known to be highly immunogenic and while the immune response is not protective, it is diagnostic of the infection. Leishmaniasis is usually diagnosed histologically, which is time consuming and requires an expert. Mycobacterial infections are diagnosed by the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to a crude antigen preparation inoculated subdermally. The test requires waiting 48 hrs before it can be read, frequently give ambivalent readings, and does not discriminate between mycobacterial species. Clearly there is room for considerable improvement and we propose using the parasite antigens that we have characterized previously and know are strongly immunogenic as "bait" in a serology-based diagnostic device. An apparatus and method for such a diagnostic device, which has the potential for real-time, ex-vivo detection of the pathogens discussed above, is described by one of the collaborators. It consists of a microfluidic semiconductor chip which measures the presence of the pathogens on a purely electrical basis and converts the measurement into a digital signal. As such, it could be incorporated into a cheap, portable and accurate disease diagnostics product. The purpose of this project is to investigate this underlying engineering invention as a potential platform for translating the laboratory research on the pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Leishmania into a diagnostic method appropriate for addressing the enormously high unmet needs of humans and animals in this field.
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