Researchers at the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering have developed a portable device to aid rural areas of the state in the early detection of viruses, specifically the hantavirus.
The device, an electrochemical immunosensor, has the potential to save lives by allowing infected persons to seek treatment quickly and an infectious outbreak to be instantly located and isolated, said Ebtisam Wilkins, a chemical and nuclear engineering professor who headed the development of the handheld device.
Research and development of the device, which can also detect the presence of E. coli, salmonella and help diagnose AIDS in an unprecedented 20 minutes, was funded by the National Science Foundation, Wilkins said.
"In an age where the West Nile Virus, AIDS, SARS and other viruses are widespread, a defense against the presence of these infectious viruses or bacteria could be accomplished by detecting them before they spread," Wilkins said. "That is why a sampling of air or environmental liquid samples is important and needed on a real-time basis for detection before infection takes place."
According to a University news release, the device works using chemicals that react to the presence of antibodies produced to fight infection. The antibodies are attached to enzymes the immunosensor detects and electronically counts.
Wilkins said the whole diagnois can be performed on the spot in about 22 minutes.
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Wilkins said the greatest potential for the device is that it can be easily modified to detect almost any other virus or bacteria.
It can even be used to detect pathogens, such as anthrax, in the event of a bioterrorist attack, she said.
Before, the process for detecting these pathogens took several days. A sample was sent to a lab, where the bacteria or virus is allowed to multiply until its presence can be spotted by a microscope.
Wilkins said several international corporations, including YAbA Ltd., a medical device company from Scotland, and the Solid Electronics Company of Hong Kong, have sought permission from her to produce and market the device.
Wilkins, who patented the device and is currently applying for another stricter one, says she is willing to license out the production of the device's electronic parts to foreign companies that can manufacture them at a lower cost, but would not give away the original concepts behind the design.
"We wanted to keep the know-how in New Mexico," she said. "We owe it to our state to keep the knowledge here."
She added that the School of Engineering stands to gain more than just prestige for the successful invention. It is expecting additional grants to develop the device for detection of the West Nile virus.
Also, several UNM students involved in the project have been hired by outside companies for their expertise with the immunosensor device.
