Novel Biosensor for Detecting Antibiotic Resistance

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a
substantial health risk. The available methods to detect resistant strains are
expensive, time-consuming, and complicated. Nomadics will functionalize a
highly sensitive amplifying fluorescent polymer (AFP) to detect extremely low
concentrations of bacterial antibiotic-resistance markers. The proposed system
will provide comparable or improved sensitivity, with real-time detection in an
easy-to-use, low-cost device that will support point-of-care identification of
resistant pathogens. This novel detection system uses the intrinsic
amplification of fluorescence transduction events afforded by AFP and will
detect the mecA gene and PBP2a protein, indicators of resistance in
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Specific probe sequences and
monoclonal antibodies will provide the target recognition event, which will
result in signal amplification by AFP and detection by the sensor. The
sensitivity, specificity, and rapidity of the system will be tested in vitro
and in vivo using methicillin-resistant, borderline resistant, and
methicillin-sensitive S. aureus strains as well as other staphylococcal and
bacterial species and will be compared to other resistance detection
technologies. Ultimately, the proposed research will lead to commercial
production of a sensitive, rapid, affordable, point-of-care detector capable of
identifying a variety of resistant bacteria in clinical samples, thus
permitting immediate selection of effective antibiotic therapy.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION:
The proposed technology will be used to determine whether a Staphylococus aureus
infection is resistant to oxacillin. However, the technology will be applicable to detection
of other antimicrobial resistance genes and proteins, as well as other microorganisms.
This capability will allow the immediate use of appropriate antibiotics to fight infection without
increasing resistance to other antibiotics. Additionally, the method proposed can be used to
identify other chemical properties that are useful in identifying organisms. The technology
is simple, which will allow it to be used outside the laboratory by minimally skilled individuals.
As a low-cost technology, the detection system will find widespread use in point-of-care
facilities, in field applications, and in under-developed regions.