The overall goal of this project is the development of a fully automated, wireless ethernet capable, near realtime, field deployable immunoassay-based analysis system for the concurrent, ultra low-level detection of biowarfare agents in air or water by using innovations in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and related supporting materials and hardware. As a proving ground for this concept, this Phase I effort has three major objectives. The first objective is to develop the requisite Raman active labels and sample handling protocols for the simultaneous, low-level detection (approximately 100 biolites) of simulants for Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), Clostridium botulinum (botulism), Yersinia pestis (plague), and Variola major (smallpox). The second objective is to devise a facile approach for sample concentration that will realize equilibration time's prior to readout of less than one minute. The third objective is to reduce the size and power requirements of our current NanoRamanTM I instrument to that of a 1980's cell phone. Thereby, the combined system of Extrinsic Raman Labels (ERLTM) along with the NanoRamanTM I instrument could function as a highly sensitive detection and labeling method that can be applied in a high throughput format by reading multiple biomarkers concurrently at a single biochip detector (sensor) address, and could be utilized for many portable applications. The successful completion of these three objectives will provide the framework upon which in Phase II, a detection system could be made that can detect all of the pathogens listed in Categories A, B and C that are amenable to immunoassay-based analysis, concurrently, with detection levels approaching single biolite and response times of a few minutes, in a compact, low power, portable device.
