03/30/2021
By Matthew Gage
The Kennedy College of Science, Department of Chemistry, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Parthena Chorti entitled “Bioassays for In-Field Detection of Disease Biomarkers and Pathogen Contaminants.” The defense will be held on April 14 at 2:30 p.m. via Zoom. Please contact Matthew Gage for meeting information if you are interested in attending. The committee will be composed of Dionysios Christodouleas (chair), David K. Ryan, Kwok-Fan Chow, and Dhimiter Bello. A brief abstract is provided below.
Abstract:
Portable (bio)sensors offer a means for decentralized, in-field testing and will play an important role in the future of health systems (eHealth systems). eHealth systems, when fully deployed will depend on portable (bio)sensors that are alternatives to traditional diagnostic approaches that require bulky, large-scale equipment and trained personnel. The capability to perform testing at the point of need will empower a) individuals to monitor their health and b) physicians/nurses to test patients during regular visits that will reduce the resource burden placed on hospitals and test centers. Portable devices can also contribute a powerful set of tools for supporting public health and safety. For example, regular on-site monitoring for pathogenic contaminants in food and water could potentially prevent hundreds to thousands of hospitalizations each year.
Despite decades of research and development in the field of point-of-need diagnostics, only a few analytical platforms (e.g. lateral flow tests, dipstick tests, test cards, and a few electrochemical sensors) have found practical applications in the field or in physician’s offices. This is because point-of-need devices should get clearance from regulatory authorities that evaluate, among other things, if the operation of the device is simple enough for use outside laboratory settings; ideally, the users should only have to add a sample into the device. This level of simplicity, however, is difficult to achieve especially if devices are based on analytical techniques that require multistep procedures (e.g., immunoassays).
This dissertation presents new analytical methodologies for biomarker testing and pathogen detection that are easy-to-perform (even for in-field settings). More specifically, the sink/float magnetic immunoassays described in Chapter 2 can detect proteins and antibodies at clinically relevant concentrations in serum using a simple wash-free, mix and observe analytical protocol. The flow-through immunoassay and the electrochemical biosensor discussed in Chapters 3 and 4 have been shown to quantify low numbers of bacteria from large volumes of liquid samples. Finally, the enzymatic bioassays presented in Chapter 5 can offer rapid assessment of microbial population in environmental water samples. The methodologies and devices developed over the course of this research might lead to new diagnostic kits and portable automated systems to provide high quality chemical and biochemical testing at the point of need.
All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend.