Electrokinetic device for capturing assayable agents in a dielectric fluid

Inventors

Gordon, Julian • Gandhi, Prasanthi

Assignees

Airanswers Inc

Abstract

Electrokinetic devices and methods are described with the purpose of collecting assayable agents from a dielectric fluid medium. Electrokinetic flow may be induced by the use of plasma generation at high voltage electrodes and consequent transport of charged particles in an electric voltage gradient. In one embodiment, the agents are directed electrokinetically to the sample collection assay device with no intermediate transfer steps. The agents are directed by creation of an electrokinetic potential well, which will effect their capture on to an assay device. Environmental agents such as biowarfare agents, pathogens, allergens or pollutants are collected autonomously on to the assay device, without any human intervention. The dielectric fluid medium, such as air, is sampled by electrokinetic propulsion with no moving parts or optionally, by transporting the dielectric fluid by a fan, pump or by breath. A further embodiment for collection of pathogen samples entails breathing into a tube where the sample is exposed to an electric plasma in the neighborhood of a high voltage electrode or electrodes, further transported by the breath through a potential well created at a sample collection device, where charge particles are electroprecipitated. The dielectric fluid medium may further include non-conductive liquids, such as oils. Oils may be sampled for the presence of contaminants, contaminating organisms or bio-degrading organisms.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to an electrokinetic sample-collection device for collecting a sample from a dielectric fluid medium for a bio-specific assay device. The device includes an enclosure and flow means for directing fluid flow of the dielectric fluid medium in the enclosure. One or more wire electrodes subject the dielectric fluid medium flowing in the enclosure to an ionizing plasma, thereby generating charged particles within the dielectric fluid medium or using charged particles pre-existing in the dielectric fluid medium.

The device further includes supporting means for supporting the bio-specific assay device, and one or more capture electrodes positioned proximate the supporting means to create a voltage potential well. The voltage potential well propels charged particles into the supported bio-specific assay device and electroprecipitates the charged particles onto a sample collection region of the bio-specific assay device, without intermediate transfer steps.

The described implementations include autonomous environmental sampling using a dielectric fluid medium such as air, and applications involving pathogens, allergens, and pollutants. The bio-specific assay device is described with assay configurations for optical and electrochemical assays, including breath-tube embodiments of a breathalyzer device, and downstream chemical treatment associated with a wire mesh capture electrode with downstream chemical treatment to Xpert MTB/RIF.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim is clm-00001. Overall, the inventive features are centered on ionizing the dielectric fluid with wire electrodes and electroprecipitating charged particles into a supported assay region using a capture-electrode voltage potential well.

The claim coverage is anchored by the combination of ionizing a dielectric fluid in an enclosure with wire electrodes to generate charged particles and using one or more capture electrodes to create a voltage potential well that electroprecipitates charged particles onto a sample collection region of a supported bio-specific assay device.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications