Emerging Infectious Disease Diagnostic via Novel Optoelectronic Halo Effect

Abstract

Topic Areas addressed by the proposed research project: Emerging Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis A concept for a new diagnostic device for infectious diseases will be investigated, with an initial target of tuberculosis markers in urine. If successful for tuberculosis, it can be later applied as a portable, point-of-care (PoC) test for a range of infectious and noninfectious diseases, including cancer. There is an acute need for low-cost, rapid detection of diseases in a broad range of healthcare applications, especially for PoC evaluation in military personnel and in low resource areas in developing countries. A critical aspect of recognizing and controlling future epidemics will rely on the development of rapid and sensitive diagnostic techniques that can be quickly deployed at multiple sites. Current detection methods are not compatible with PoC use without the existence of extensive and expensive laboratory/clinical infrastructure. Innovative aspects of the research lie in the use of the novel opto-electronic “plasmonic halo” effect, and the ability to exploit that effect in the development of a highly sensitivity and specific detector of tuberculosis biomarkers in solution, in a small-footprint, PoC-scale device. If successful, the research can become a foundation for future efforts aimed at emerging infectious diseases, especially those prevalent in low-resource areas where access to major infrastructure and technology is limited, such that accurate, PoC detection is highly desired.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Oct 29, 2018
Source ID
W81XWH1810102

Entities

People

  • Michael Naughton

Organizations

  • Boston College
  • United States Army

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Medical Imaging.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Virology (or Medical Virology).

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics