Infectious Agent Quantification Using Sensor-Based Time-to-Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for quantifying infectious agents in biological samples are labor-intensive, prone to human error, and inadequate for opaque samples, requiring costly and bulky equipment, especially for samples like animal or human blood.
Innovation Solution
A method involving dilution of target samples with growth media, monitoring solution characteristics like ORP or pH using sensors, and calculating concentration based on time-to-detection and calibration curves generated from known strains, without the need for exogenous reporter molecules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If microbial culturing techniques are used to quantify infectious agents, then accurate quantification can be achieved, but the process becomes labor intensive and prone to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual microbial culturing techniques with an automated sensor-based detection system. Sensors monitor solution characteristics (pH, ORP, dissolved oxygen) to detect infectious agent growth automatically, eliminating the need for manual interpretation by skilled personnel and reducing labor intensity while maintaining quantification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service quantification by using sensors to automatically monitor and detect changes in solution characteristics that indicate infectious agent growth. The apparatus autonomously tracks parameters like pH changes or ORP shifts over time, eliminating the need for continuous human observation and intervention in the culturing process.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If optical techniques are used to assess biological samples, then detection can be performed, but bulky and expensive equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes complex optical detection equipment with simpler electrochemical sensors. Instead of using bulky optical instruments to assess samples, the system employs compact sensors that measure electrical properties (pH, oxidation-reduction potential, dissolved oxygen) of the growth media, achieving detection capability with less complex and more affordable equipment.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If conventional optical techniques are used on opaque samples like blood, then sample assessment is attempted, but the opacity prevents accurate assessment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical detection methods that fail on opaque samples with electrochemical sensor-based detection. The sensors measure changes in solution characteristics (pH, ORP, dissolved oxygen) in the growth media, which are not affected by the opacity of the original sample matrix. This allows accurate detection of infectious agent growth even in opaque samples like blood by monitoring the cleavage products released into the surrounding media.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides rapid and accurate quantification of infectious agents in various biological samples, including opaque ones, reducing human error and equipment costs.
Implementation Method 1
monitoring solution characteristics like ORP or pH using sensors
Implementation Method 2
monitoring solution characteristics like ORP or pH using sensors
Implementation Method 3
determining a first time-to-detection (TTD1) representing the time it takes a solution characteristic of the first diluted sample to undertake a predetermined threshold change
Data Source
AI summary
Various methods, devices, and systems for determining the concentration of infectious agent in a target sample are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for determining the concentration of an infectious agent of an unknown strain can include diluting aliquots of a target sample comprising the infectious agent by different dilution factors to yield diluted samples. The method can also include determining the time it takes a solution characteristic of each of the diluted samples to undertake a predetermined threshold change. The method can also include determining the concentration of the infectious agent of the unknown strain by taking into account the different dilution factors, the monitored times, and certain curve fitting parameters calculated from predetermined calibration curves generated for infectious agents of different known strains.