DNA-Mediated Proximity Assembly Circuits for Point-of-Care Diagnosis
Abstract
The rapid development of Point-of-Care (POC) diagnosis brings revolutionary impact on healthcare delivery and plays a critical role on the next generation predictive, personalized and preemptive medicine. POC testing is defined as a simple operated, easy-to-read, rapid and low-cost medical diagnosis, which can be used by non-specialists at multiple locations of physicianÕs office, home, the wild field, an ambulance and hospital. The global Point-of-Care Diagnostics market was valued at USD $ 21.40 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach USD $ 38 billion by 2022. There are increasing private investments and venture funding towards the development of new products along with the growing government support to increase the adoption of POC devices. We proposed to commercialize a DNA nanodevice product that can be adopted for POC testing. The nanodevice uses a mechanism of DNA-mediated proximity assembly circuit (DPAC) that contains a limited number of oligonucleotides and a simple catalytic system. Target molecules can be identified by visible color change. It does not require any additional steps to separate detectable components from the assay background, and can be applied to at-home use or diagnosis at diverse locations. Our developed DPAC sensors have the advantages: (1) simplified operation (e.g. One-pot assay) by non-specialists at diverse locations; (2) easy-to-read signals; (3) reliable and rapid assay; (4) low-cost for the test. As proof-of-concept, Dr. Fu s team has developed and tested a DPAC sensor to detect a microRNA biomarker for prostate cancer at concentration as low as 0.1 nM. Similar sensors can be readily redesigned for the detection of other disease-relevant nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules that have broad use in healthcare, environmental monitoring and safety of soldiers at ground warfare. The target market includes: POC testing for a variety of disease-relevant nucleic acids, small molecules and proteins; metal detection in water; detection of reactional drug metabolites and explosive compounds sensing. The goal of this project is to utilize the opportunities provided by the DoD towards commercializing the results of fundamental research conducted in our lab supported by current and previous ARO grants. Being a part of the program would enable our lab members to receive entrepreneurial education and gain knowledge necessary for attracting start-up funding. Sponsored by the I-Corps curriculum, we first plan to demonstrate the DPAC sensor to potential customers and partners that will be given by the ELs. There will be a real-time demonstration of technology during visits and the customers could also test it on their own, using the demonstration product that we provide. Then, we will use these meetings to figure out potential customersÕ needs to help us in formulating the best value proposition, strategy towards creating a start-up, its business plan, funding pitch and determining what additional R&D work is required. In line with DoD applications, the product can be used to improve the warfighter protection by detecting water contaminations (metal ions), recreational drugs or drug abuse, and explosive compounds.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 06, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910414
Entities
People
- Jinglin Fu
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Rutgers University