DETECTION
still identify whether or not the agent is present, the simple fact that many potentially weapons-grade pathogens are ubiquitously present in the environment makes these quantita- tive readings extremely important. They can be interpreted to establish if an area or patient has been exposed to an attack or simply to background pathogens. Alternatively, accurate quantitative data can be used to provide responders with a better idea of the level of exposure and what dose of medical countermeasures might be required. While the Hook Effect is oſten dealt with by serially diluting
a suspected agent sample, this process takes up precious time and requires other equipment that may not be present. The NIDS dispenses with this trouble through the use of nano- manipulation technology to correctly orient active antibodies into their optimal positions. This neutralises the Hook Effect, providing users with a more robust detection and measurement solution that is more reliable than contemporary alternatives. A palm-sized, man-portable, and weather-proofed device, the NIDS has been designed to be used by a soldier or civilian responder operating far away from a lab. There is a large colour LCD display with five brightness modes and three AA batteries can provide up to three hours of run time and are easily replaced, as the compartment requires no tools to open and close. The NIDS can also run off a PC by way of a mini-USB connection.
The NIDS reader stores up to 3,000 test results - including
a preserved scanned image of each test - on a microSD disc. The soſtware provided with the system allows users to manage data, update firmware and change settings to go above and beyond tests that are currently available, which include: Bacillus anthracis (anthrax); Yersinia pestis (plague); Franciscella tularensis (tularemia); ricin; botulinum Toxin A and B; and staphylococcal enterotoxin.
Improved chemical detection Chemical threats also come in many shapes and sizes, including toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and homemade mixes. The Environics ChemPro 100i Improved Chemical Detector is a multisensor handheld device which combines Environics- patented open-loop ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors with additional temperature and humidity sensors. Together with in-built fuzzy logic- algorithms, the device is claimed to be capable of understanding and detecting chemical agents based on their signatures as well as their behaviour in a variety of microclimates. The ChemPro 100i’s plug-and-play functionality enables
users to operate the detector without intensive training and it can quickly detect both CWAs (chemical warfare agents) and TICs. Once a sample is taken, the hardware and soſtware take over for the user, making the device ideal for widespread distribution to unskilled (though adequately protected) personnel in the event of a terror attack that would involve local law enforcement teams. There is no need to purify samples or add dopants, and a unit can go without maintenance for 125 days of continuous operation. Modular systems and user-friendly functions enhance the
utility of any detection system, which manufacturers and developers keep this mind as they develop the next generation of detection systems. A ChemPro Reader Module could be fitted for the detection of biological agents, and military fielders might also benefit from the M90-D1-C Chemical Warfare Agent Detector, which can detect numerous nerve, blister, blood and choking agents. A variety of detection libraries can be installed on the device, including CWAs, TICs and first-responder libraries. zy
THE FUTURE’S HERE
R & D is under way into next-generation detection and diagnostics tools by firms and military/academic research groups. Chelsea Technologies Group, for example, is building an as-yet unnamed fully-automated microarray processing platform for biosecurity applications. A briefcase-sized, portable screening system, the device
is being developed in conjunction with Microtest Matrices Ltd., a spin-out from Imperial College London, with additional support from the UK’s Health Protection Agency and Home Office. It will provide on-site optical-microarray- based diagnostics capabilities to those responding to a suspected terror attack, and can screen for a variety of microorganisms. Furthermore, it can also be readily adapted to detect chemicals in water supplies or multiana- lytes in medical settings. The portability of a unit that employs an optical microarray is a significant advance as this technology has previously been difficult to appropri- ately miniaturise. Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) are
developing new CBW detection applications for magnetic nanobeads. Recently reported in Sensors and Actuators, OSU is pursuing a patent surrounding the use of ferromag- netic iron oxide nanoparticles that can be attached to biochemical probes. The nanoparticles themselves are manipulated by a target’s specific ferromagnetic resonance, and can thus detect biochemical entities with extreme sensitivity and selectivity. The nanoparticles’ magnetic and metallic properties also allows them to serve as signalling conduits that plug directly into a reader’s circuitry, thereby providing a user with rapid access to the information available in the sample. The simplicity of this approach removes the need for the complicated, multi-step manufac- turing processes inherent to other detection solutions and reveals the potential for a low-cost, mass-producible ‘lab-on-a-chip’ sampling/diagnostic device. The University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) has
also conducted work on a similar integrated device that relies on microfluidic nanotechnology. Inspired by a dog’s scent receptors and packaged onto a fingerprint-sized silicon chip, the UCSB-invented device has multiple channels that absorb and concentrate sample molecules by up to six orders of magnitude. Once absorbed into a microchannel, the vapour molecules interact with specific nanoparticles that amplify their spectral signature upon excitement by a laser. The signatures are then referenced against a database that is used to identify what kind of molecule has been captured, allowing the device to effectively sniff out a specific target, be it explosive, biological, or chemical in nature. The UCSB technology has been spun out to Spectra Fluidics Inc., and can detect an increasing variety of chemical vapours.
Edward Perello is a co-founder of Desktop Genetics Ltd and is working to develop next-generation DNA synthesis and biosecurity solutions for the synthetic biology industry.
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