Electrokinetic method for capturing and bioassaying airborne assayable pathogenic agents

Inventors

Gordon, Julian • Gandhi, Prasanthi

Assignees

Airanswers Inc

Abstract

Electrokinetic methods are described with the purpose of collecting assayable agents directed by creation of an electrokinetic potential well. Environmental agents such as biowarfare agents, pathogens, allergens or pollutants are collected autonomously. The dielectric fluid medium, such as air, is sampled by electrokinetic propulsion. A further embodiment for collection of pathogen samples entails exposing the sample to an electric plasma in the neighborhood of a high voltage electrode or electrodes, further transported through a potential well created at a sample collection device conductive liquids, such as oils may be sampled for the presence of contaminants, contaminating organisms or bio-degrading organisms.

Core Innovation

The invention provides an electrokinetic sampling system and method that uses a wire electrode to generate an ionizing plasma and expose an airborne sample volume to that plasma. Charged particles generated by the ionizing plasma are transported for capture by a capture electrode positioned at a low or negative voltage relative to the wire electrode.

The invention forms a net air flow by positioning the capture electrode at a low or negative voltage relative to the wire electrode, thereby propagating charged particles onto the capture electrode. The propulsion is run for a time suitable for air flow of the sample volume, and a biospecific assay is performed to determine the presence or amount of a pathogen in the sample volume.

The approach is described as using an electrostatic potential well to trap and electroprecipitate charged airborne assayable agents onto a nearby assay device, enabling seamless transfer to biospecific assays such as immunoassays and nucleic-acid assays. Multiple embodiments are presented, including fan-driven wire-electrode plasma systems with grounded or negative capture electrodes, electrokinetically propelled flow, continuous reel-to-reel capture for time records, and electrode configurations including a 3D electrode configuration for enhanced focusing.

Documented embodiments include a breathalyzer-style device described for a tuberculosis-related workflow, including an optical immunosensor and nucleic-acid amplification workflows, as well as an example in which samples are treated using NaOH-isopropanol. The document also describes simulation-based design rationale and parameters, including dielectric constants, electrode geometry and voltages, capture-to-wire area ratios, and optional wire-mesh capture, supporting electroprecipitation and focusing of assayable agents.

Claims Coverage

The provided material includes one independent method claim. Across the independent claim and dependent refinements, the inventive concept is directed to plasma generation using a wire electrode, electrokinetic propulsion and capture using a low or negative voltage capture electrode, and downstream biospecific assay to determine pathogen presence or amount.

The claim set centers on determining pathogen presence or amount in an airborne sample volume by generating an ionizing plasma with a wire electrode, using a low or negative voltage capture electrode to generate net air flow and propel charged particles onto the capture electrode for electroprecipitation, and then performing a biospecific assay. Dependent refinements add multiple capture electrodes, optional non-conductive transport medium coverage, and extraction using an NaOH-isopropanol sample treatment reagent, with pathogen targets further narrowed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis or pathogenic viruses.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications