NICOP - A non-optical digital PCR approach for clinical nucleic acid testing and pathogen detection

Abstract

A non-optical digital PCR approach for clinical nucleic acid testing and pathogen detection: This is a project that will add great capability to on board ships or in the field for medical diagnosis and identification of contagious pathogens. The possibility of identifying and quantifying pathogens by means of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has changed the rules in several fields, most particularly in clinical and therapeutic settings. Nucleic acid testing(NAT) has already become a part of many countries blood-screening protocols and the approach is the standard ofchoice when the absence of pathogenic contaminants, such as viruses or bacteria, has to be guaranteed with thehighest degree of confidence. The US Navy is constantly confronted with a number of scenarios where theportable implementation of a reliable nucleic acid testing procedure for infectious agents, freed from the constraints oflaboratory conditions, could greatly improve operational standards.The eDI-PCR project aims at bringing the power of DNA analytics to several areas of intervention of the US Navy, notably when emergency medical assistance is required and whenever biosafety has to be assessed. More specifically eDI-PCR aims to define a semiconductor-based PCR platform to nucleic acid testing (NAT) that would merge the advantages of the digital PCR approach for nucleic acid quantification with the ISFET mediateddetection of DNA amplification, by taking advantage of the remarkable sensitivity of nano-scale electron devices.b) The use of lab on a chip technology will greatly facilitate in field and on board ship medical diagnosis and control of contagious pathogens.c) Code 34. Dr. Tim Bentley has agreed to co-fund the projectd) Working prototype systems that can be tested in real-time activities byy the USN and several high quality journal articles and reports

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Sep 23, 2016
Source ID
N629091612187

Entities

People

  • Carlotta Guiducci

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Navy

Tags

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
  • Molecular Genetics

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Microelectronics