Anthrax Detection CD:

Anthrax is an acute and deadly disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. If not quickly detected and treated, humans can die within days. With renewed bio-terrorism concerns, there is a need for a rapid and automated system capable of sample (respiratory or blood) to answer (positive infection) so that quarantine procedures and treatment can be administered immediately. The Madou BioMEMS group is working on combining the previously developed Cell Lysis CD (link) and PCR Card (link) to create a microfluidic sample-to-answer system capable of processing raw respiratory samples in under 1 hour. Real-time PCR is being utilized for amplification and detection along with a bead-beating cell lysis step. In addition, the necessary CD spin-stand hardware (e.g., heaters and fluorescence detection system) are being developed and automated. In collaboration with Texas A&M, critical aspects of the device are being modeled to optimize the entire system. This project promises to show the true feasibility of a completely integrated CD system.

As a first step in Anthrax detection, Madou lab has developed a Large Volume Plasma Separation CD to purify the Anthrax spores from a whole blood sample.

Publications:

Frontiers in Biomedical Devices Conference Abstract & Presentation-Irvine, CA (June, 2008)

Microfluidic CD-Based Systems Toward Rapid Anthrax Detection in Whole Blood