Featured Technology: Microfluidic Immunoassay
Mason’s Dr. Victor Morozov has developed a number of technologies which have recently been combined in a Microfluidic Immunoassay capable of detecting the protein of bacteria and viruses far faster and with more sensitivity than currently available tests.
Overview
The device combines electric and magnetic fields with microfluidics, protein microarrays, and standard magnetic bead and imaging technology to very rapidly detect even the smallest amount of viral or bacterial protein in a clinical or environmental sample. Other methods of protein detection can take days to complete, and can be of limited use if the amounts of proteins are not above a certain level. The sensitivity of many diagnostic tests for pathogens rely instead on rapid amplification of pathogen DNA, yet such tests still take time and in some cases can still yield unclear results. Dr. Morozov’s Microfluidic Immunoassay rapidly concentrates and captures the viral or bacterial proteins in a test sample, allowing for a fast direct detection of pathogens unavailable with other methods.
In the proof of concept study, recent Mason Ph.D. graduate Stephanie Groves developed the Microfluidic Immunoassay to detect proteins of the West Nile Virus (WNV). The standard diagnostic kit for detecting WNV takes two to three days to complete. Dr. Grove’s final device correctly detected WNV in a blinded test of 41 samples with a total assay time per sample of 15 minutes. Mason is currently seeking commercial partners to help develop the Microfluidic Immunoassay for a number of other relevant virus and bacteria, and in fields ranging from point of care diagnosis to environmental monitoring.
A summary of the device can be found at J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 2007, 129, 12628-12629.
If you’re interested in commercial opportunities for this technology, please contact Joe Janda, Licensing Associate, George Mason University’s Office of Technology Transfer at (703) 993-3879. Mr. Janda's e-mail address is jjanda@gmu.edu.
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