Opportunities in Biotechnology for Future Army Applications (2001) / Chapter Skim
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3. Sensing the Battlefield Environment
3. Sensing the Battlefield Environment
Pages 16-24
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From page 16... ...
One type of assay, known as an immunoassay, is commonly used to detect and identify biological agents, including bacteria, viruses, and proteins. Different transduction methods based on systems such as mass spectrometry, microcantilevers, miniaturized flow cytometry, and electronic signatures have been demonstrated.
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From page 17... ...
Internal biosensors used to monitor physical reactions and other physical parameters could also provide monitoring points. Most target threat molecules (e.g., chemical or biological warfare agents in liquid or aerosol form)
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From page 18... ...
Libraries of smaller protein domains and peptides have also been successfully screened against target molecules to identify recognition reagents with suitable affinities and specificities for use in immunoassay formats (Cannon et al., 1996~. Ribosomal or messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)
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From page 19... ...
The three primary methods of detection that have been used for screening programs are fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and mass spectrometry. Because neither fluorescent nor chemiluminescent methods require fluidic manipulations following an assay, the scale and format of their means of implementation can vary (e.g.,
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From page 20... ...
A number of microenabled devices and techniques are emerging in the analytical chemistry industry to address requirements for increased sample throughput and decreased sample volumes. These components, methods, and materials are referred to in the commercial sensor industry as micro total analysis systems (MicroTAS)
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From page 21... ...
PROTEIN CHIPS Protein sensors can be divided into sensors designed to detect, and perhaps quantify, molecules in a biological sample from a person, such as a potentially infected soldier, and sensors designed to detect molecules in samples taken from the environment, which could, perhaps, warn of an at
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From page 22... ...
An effective protein chip to meet requirements for battlefield environmental sensors would require the systematic, scaled-up production of many, many different capture agents. Detection of Capturecl Proteins The most sensitive detectors of DNA (e.g., the devices made by Cepheid)
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From page 23... ...
Other immediate barriers to the development of portable, low-power sensor devices include: · the need for multiple reagents · complex systems that are not reliable enough for unattended operation over extended periods of time or operation by untrained operators · miniaturization without loss of sensitivity · weight reduction from the current 10 pounds to handheld, wearable systems improving specificity to reduce false positives and false negatives Because there are few incentives for industry to develop devices that can measure proteins in a rugged battlefield environment, research and development will have to be supported by the government. Commercial developers of environmental sensors and many kinds of diagnostic sensors have paid little attention to capture reagents, active surface requirements, sample collection, or sample preparations.
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From page 24... ...
OPPORTUNITIES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR FUTURE ARMY APPLICATIONS KEY RECOMMENDATIONS Miniaturized, biologically based sensing devices could increase battlefield intelligence and significantly counter unseen environmental threats. Timely sensing of biological, as opposed to chemical, agents will require a broad-based network of both internal and external sensing devices.
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