Biosearch Technologies is a fluorescent oligonucleotide probe and assay development company which has been involved in recent government contracts for Biowatch 1 and 2, and in the production of infectious disease assays for the US Air Force. Biosearch is the only CDC-approved vendor for the 2009 HINI swine flu. For this Solicitation, Phase I will develop and provide a Point-of-Care (POC) assay for the four known serotypes of dengue virus. The assay will use an isothermal system called Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) which is capable of detecting down to one copy of virus target in 20 minutes at 37 degrees C. The instrumentation is stand-alone, and provides detection using field-deployable battery power. The assay reagents are dried and currently stable without refrigeration. Nasal swabs, buccal swabs, or small volumes of blood require no sample preparation, simply mix the sample and begin the amplification reaction. Detection is by direct fluorescence, and the instrument is capable of multiplexing.
Keywords: Isothermal Amplification, Rpa, Dengue Virus, Simple, Rapid, Fluorescent, 37 Degrees C, Field-Deployable
