Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2023 - 34

Test & Measurement
terpretation discrepancy between the
user and scientific team.
" This is a whole new way to measure
water quality, " said Young. " The study
shows that we can get a test into people's
hands that is based on some very complex
biology but works very simply. "
" It also points to the feasibility of such
tests for other chemicals like lead and
PFAS, " said Lucks.
A family in rural Kenya field tests the point-of-use fluoride biosensors. (Image: Janet Barsolai)
signed their studies to examine whether
the results could be easily interpreted by
non-expert users.
The results showed that the point-ofuse
had an 84 percent chance of correctly
predicting fluoride levels above the
World Health Organization limit of
more than 1.5 parts per million. In addition,
the tests were found to be highly
usable, with only 1 of 57 tests with an inA
potential next step for the fluoride
test could include mapping where geogenic
fluoride is located globally. Closer
to home in Chicago, the pair is interested
in investigating the usability of
an at-home test for rapidly detecting
lead in water, as well as in leveraging
this research as a model for interfacing
social sciences with synthetic biology
to increase the impact of synthetic biology
innovations.
For
more information,
contact
Stephanie Kulke at stephanie.kulke@
northwestern.edu; 847-491-4819.
Micro-Device Detects Bacteria and Viruses
This miniature lab isolates strains of difficult-to-detect micro-particles such as Ebola and
coronaviruses.
Rochester Institute of Technology, NY
E
ngineering researchers have developed
a next-generation miniature lab
device that uses magnetic nano-beads to
isolate minute bacterial particles that
cause diseases.
To provide rapid and accurate detection,
sample purification and preparation
is critical and essential. One of the
major problems for detection is how to
better isolate higher concentrations of
pathogens. The microfluidic lab-on-achip
enables detection of bacterial infection,
especially in bodily fluids.
The device is a lab environment that
can be used in field hospitals or clinics
and should be much faster at collecting
and analyzing specimens than the commercially
available membrane filters. Its
wide, shallow channels trap small bacteria
molecules that are attracted to
packed, magnetic microparticles.
This combination of the deeper channels
on the nano-device, increased flow
rate of fluids where bacteria are suspended,
and the inclusion of magnetic beads
along the device channels im proves
upon the process of captur ing/isolating
bacterial samples.
Researchers were able to successfully
isolate bacteria from various fluids with a
microparticle-based matrix filter. The filter
trapped particles in small voids in the
device, providing a larger concentration
of bacteria for analysis. An added advantage
of a smaller device such as this allows
for multiple samples to be tested at
the same time. The device can either
quickly detect bacteria in the device or
release them into certain chemicals to
analyze them.
Magnetic beads
Escherichia coli
Platelet
Protein
An enlarged image of the different bioparticles found in a specimen including the micro-beads to
better isolate bacteria. (Image: Rochester Institute of Technology)
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In addition to isolating and detecting
bacteria in water and human plasma, the
team is working with whole blood samples
to understand and detect blood infections
such as sepsis.
For more information, contact Michelle
Cometa at macuns@rit.edu; 585-475-4954.
Tech Briefs, October 2023

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Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2023

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