A key advantage of this new sensor is its ability to detect a specific biological agent even if its trace amount is only one part per billion in a sample volume of air or water.
The new detector or biochip under development has an optical based system. Its designers have increased the sensitivity of what the chip can "see" or sense, consequently improving its response time. Each pixel on the detector reads the mass and conformation of a different chemical. The new detector will more closely measure the actual level of each chemical in an affected area, which will aide in the design of the corresponding treatment for exposure.
An immediate application is in "remote medicine" such as a battlefield where medical personnel might not be readily available. As a portable unit, the detector and readout device allow sophisticated diagnosis in the field. Knowing quickly which chemical(s) a soldier was exposed to or what pathogens are present in body fluids lends to immediate treatment, possibly averting the full effects of the chemical damage. Saraf believes his device could be the basis for smaller lab instruments that would allow for the practice of medicine even while at sea or in space when a quick diagnosis could save a life, as well as conserve critical work time.
The new detection device will also be able to monitor the environment soil, water, and air to identify the presence of pathogens.
Other applications include the new field of proteomics, the study of the formation of proteins in a biological syst
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Contact: Ravi Saraf
rsaraf@vt.edu
540-231-6774
Virginia Tech
22-Feb-2002