Selective Capture and Identification of Bacteria
Purdue University researchers have developed a novel technique for selective capture and identification of pathogenic bacteria using immutable ligands. These are pathogen-specific ligands that the disease-causing organism must bind to in order to remain virulent. Examples of immutable ligands include host cell surface molecules that the pathogen must bind to in order to infect its host and nutrient molecules that the microbe must internalize to survive. This method first immobilizes the immutable ligand onto a chip. When the chip is exposed to its matching pathogen, binding occurs. The chip can then be quantitatively evaluated using image processing algorithms, which are not only fast and accurate, but can also be used in a multiplex approach where a sample can be screened for a wide variety of pathogens simultaneously.
Rapid multiplex test resultsDetection invulnerable to pathogen mutations
BiotechnologyToxin DetectionMedical/Healthcare
Philip LowPurdue ChemistryPurdue Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular PharmacologyPurdue Biomedical EngineeringCenter for Drug DiscoveryLow Research Lab
United States
None
USA
