IIT RESEARCHERS BREAK THROUGH ON BACTERIA DETECTOR
Tiny sensor holds potential to instantly detect biohazards in air, water and food
A team of scientists at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) has successfully tested a new sensing device that can identify dangerous bacteria, with the potential to confirm the presence of dozens of other toxic agents in air, water and food. The prototype could become a powerful new tool for U.S. homeland security, military counter-terrorism efforts and everyday medical diagnosis.
This new detection device, called IIT ChemArray, includes an electronic microchip sensor, a little larger than a penny (at right), which can easily be incorporated into a handheld scanner. The device may one day better protect the public against toxic pathogenic organisms and viruses, including ricin, the poisonous protein recently found in U.S. mail delivered to Congress.
In laboratory testing, the device, a version of a commercially-available electronic sensor, was able to instantly read the presence of E coli (Escherichia coli), a bacteria commonly associated with food poisoning and infant diarrhea. The IIT researchers believe ChemArray will have the same capability with a host of other toxic viruses and bacteria, including SARS, anthrax, salmonella, listeria and staphylococcus.
Development of the new sensor, funded by a $1 million federal biodefense research grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research, is viewed as a key component to U.S. counterterrorism efforts, offering the military and civilians a faster, more portable way to detect a variety of dangerous biological agents in the field.
“Current testing methods are often time-consuming and require analysis in a specialized laboratory,” said Dr. Joseph Stetter, IIT chemistry professor and research team leader. “This portable device can instantly detect a variety of dangerous agents in the field, through a device no larger than a typical handheld computer.”
In addition to helping U.S. counterterrorism efforts, the ChemArray device will help health organizations around the world better fight fast-spreading diseases.
“Many more people around the world die of undiagnosed and untreated diseases than die of terrorist attacks,” said Dr. William Penrose , an IIT associate research professor in chemistry and one of the scientists on the project. “Tuberculosis, for example, is the leading cause of death around the world, next to malaria. An inexpensive, handheld scanner that could be used to seek out tuberculosis patients in remote locations could be used to identify infected people early, in time to start drug treatment or, at the very least, to prevent the disease from spreading.”
Along with Drs. Stetter and Penrose, other members of the IIT team include Dr. Victor Perez-Luna, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering and students Jenna Zhang, Kiera Lonergan, Chandra Hanumanthaiah and Gregory Allan Hudalla.
The IIT ChemArray scans more than 93,000 tiny sensors in an area the size of a postage stamp and in less than 50 milliseconds. A specific antibody is anchored on the sensor's glass surface and serves as a microscopic “magnet,” attracting a particular bacteria or protein. The ChemArray then accurately confirms the bacteria's presence on the antibody-coated portion of the surface. By making spots of different antibodies on the glass surface, a single sensor can be treated to search for hundreds or even thousands of different bacteria at the same time.
With confirmation of the sensor's ability to detect E coli bacteria, work now begins on incorporating the sensor into a portable device for testing of many different agents, which will take less than a year, depending on continued financial support. The long-term goal for IIT is to enable field testing by military and civilian researchers in applications from counter-terrorism to infectious disease prevention.
Along with funding from the U.S. Office of Naval research, additional support has come from the microchip's manufacturer, STMicroelectronics, Geneva, Switzerland, and Transducer Technology, a Chicago startup company. U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) have also been key supporters of the research project.
About Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 16 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
