SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop rapid detection protocols for bioterror-related pathogens. At the current time, there are no simple and inexpensive recognition systems that are well suited to the simultaneous detection of multiple pathogenic agents. This is particularly true for first responders at the point of attack, such as police, paramedics, and firefighters. Since exposure to Class A bioterror pathogens causes flu-like symptoms in their victims during the first few days after exposure, it is critical that the pathogen be identified as quickly as possible (that is, in one to four hours) in order to minimize fatalities. In this project, a unique biorecognition system based on immobilized antibodies to a variety of protein toxins will be developed. Fluorophores will be attached to multi-branched dendrimers that are also derivatized for immobilization of antibodies against bioterror pathogens. The detection ensemble will be in a kit form, with easy to follow instructions for the identification of specific pathogens by antibody-antigen binding, using chromatographic separation and fluorescence detection of the complex. It is anticipated that a typical protocol starting from samples obtained at the point of attack will be able to identify a wide variety of bioterror agents in 1 to 4 hours. The main commercial application of this project will be for first responders involved in Homeland Defense. Additional applications are expected in the food and beverage industry, biomedical research laboratories, water treatment facilities and medical diagnostics companies

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes to develop field deployable kits for the detection of bio-terror pathogens. These kits would consist of fluorescent-labeled antibodies directed against protein toxins expressed by bio-terror pathogens, relying for detection on strong antibody-antigen interactions and fast chromatographic discrimination using simple chromatography strips supplied with inexpensive pre-measured reagents. In Phase I project, new water soluble blue-emitting reporter fluorophores were synthesized that were extremely photo-stable and could be easily visualized under any type of light conditions. These fluorophores were conjugated to an antibody against Bacillus anthracis as the initial proof-of-concept, and methodology was developed to attach these reporter fluorophores to monoclonal, polyclonal or recombinant antibodies. The objectives of Phase II project are to optimize reagents and chromatography, to synthesize new fluorophores for multiplexed pathogen detection, to design and assemble prototype kits, and to test and validate the kits. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of homeland security. The proposed kits are expected to be inexpensive, versatile, and easy to use by relatively untrained first responders (such as police, firefighters, paramedics, hazmat personnel, other emergency response teams)