Ke Du, a professor and researcher from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), created a microfluidic device based on CRISPR gene-editing technology to detect and monitor indicators of Ebola.
The small, automated device tracks nucleic acid markers indicative of the virus. Once approached with patient samples, its biosensors allow infected to be identified and treated earlier, presenting the potential to decrease infection spread. It identifies victims through the CRISPR mechanism, which enables physicians to see Ebola RNA.
“If an individual travels from one infected community to another, they can easily spread the epidemic. That is why before any symptoms of Ebola, such as cough or fever present, individuals can take a blood test before being allowed to travel,” Du, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, said.
Testing so far has focused on the EBOV strain of Ebola, which boasts a high mortality rate. Du is working on a device that could detect multiple viruses strains from Ebola to influenza and Zika, as an example. Early results have shown a detection time of five minutes when the device is coupled with automated sample processing, fluorescence sensing, and a specific CRISPR assay.
“For this work, we are trying to develop a low-cost device that is easy to use especially for medical personnel working in developing countries or areas where there are outbreaks,” Du said. “They’d be able to bring hundreds of these devices with them for testing, not just one virus or bacteria at one time, but many different kinds.”
Du’s research was published in the April 2019 issue of ACS Sensors, with contributions from team members at the University of California, Berkeley; China’s Tsinghua Berkeley Shenzhen Institute; Korea’s Dong-A University; Texas Biomedical Research Institute; and Boston University.