Meeting Threat Detection Needs For The Army: Using Conjugated Polymers To Improve Diagnostics

The focus of this work is on the development of an integrated biological detection system that can meet the needs of Army to detect biological threats. This detection system will be based on a heterogeneous microarray format, which allows for the simultaneous detection of multiple threat agents, and cationic conjugated polymers (CCPs), which serve either to enhance microarray systems (both commercially available and custom-printed) by increasing signal output of a reporter dye via Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) or to provide a means for reporting in label-free microarray systems that could greatly reduce the cost for time and materials. For labeled systems, amplified signal intensities of reporting dyes should translate to either a higher sensitivity or lower requirements for optical specifications. Simplification of the optics would not only reduce the overall cost of testing, but opens the door for the overriding goal of design and development of portable and/or point-of-care testing devices. These types of diagnostic devices would have the potential to perform field-deployable, simple, and cost-effective testing in a timely fashion for bio-threat agents.
See also ADM002075. Presented at the Army Science Conference (25th) held in Orlando, FL on 27-30 November 2006. The original document contains color images.