Authors:
Howard Clyde Wikle III
;
Suiqiong Li
;
Aleksandr Simonian
and
Bryan A. Chin
Affiliation:
Auburn University, United States
Keyword(s):
Pathogen Detection, Biosensor, Bio-inspired, Phage, Magnetoelastic, Wireless Sensor.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Biomechanical Devices
;
Biomedical Engineering
;
Biomedical Instruments and Devices
;
Biomedical Sensors
;
Devices
;
Health Monitoring Devices
;
Human-Computer Interaction
;
Physiological Computing Systems
;
Wireless Systems
Abstract:
This paper describes the results of a research project to investigate and develop an autonomous pathogen detection and capture system that mimics the function of naturally occurring biological defensive systems, such as white blood cells. The autonomous sentinel system is envisioned to have the capability of seeking out invasive pathogens in liquid environments, detecting and capturing them. Once detected and captured the invasive pathogens can be removed, by retrieving the sentinels using a magnetic field. The sentinels are composed of two main parts: a magnetoelastic resonator whose motion and detection functions is actuated and monitored using magnetic fields; and a bio-probe that is immobilized onto the resonator surface and captures specific target pathogens. The freestanding sentinels require no on-board power for motion or to signal detection of a target pathogen. Upon contact with the target pathogen, the bio-molecular recognition element on the sentinel will bind with the ta
rget cell. This will cause a mass change of the sentinel, which results in a change in the sentinel's resonant frequency and the instantaneous detection of the target pathogen. Similar to white blood cells, the autonomous sentinels when placed in a liquid analyte will move through the analyte, capture and disable the target pathogens and signal their detection. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate proof-in-principal of the concept of autonomous sentinels.
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