The objectives are to develop new and rapid methods for detecting, isolating and characterizing new viruses which may appear, known virions, viral antigens, and antibodies to known pathogenic viruses. The methods to be explored depend on unique combinations of centrifugal techniques, and the banding densities and sedimentation coefficients of both individual species of virus particles and of both fluorescent and non-fluorescent latex particles. The methods include (in order of increased instrumentational complexity) density-separated fluorescent immunoaggregates, rate-separated fluorescent immunoaggregates, isopycnometric virus detection, and two-dimensional centrifugal virus isolation. With these methods it is proposed that new viruses can be rapidly isolated and characterized, tests can be developed which will yield precise virus titers allowing methods for growing the virus to be evaluated even when very poor yields are obtained, and rapid methods can be developed for diagnosis of virus diseases based on virion detection, antigen detection, or antibody detection. Phase I is for proof of principle. Phase II is for prototype development and initial applications.
