Rapid Tick Tester Using Beveled Grinding and Lateral Flow Immunoassay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic methods for tick-borne diseases are slow, costly, and often result in delayed treatment due to the need for laboratory testing, which can lead to missed treatment windows and antibiotic resistance issues, as they require ticks to be transported and tested, delaying the identification of infection status.
Innovation Solution
A single-use, disposable tick-testing device that uses a lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) to assess the infection status of ticks by grinding them with a non-toxic diluent solution and transferring the fluid to an integrated LFA test strip, allowing for rapid detection of tick-borne pathogens like Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If laboratory testing methods (PCR or immunohistochemical testing) are used to test ticks, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to 48-72 hour turn-around time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential testing function from the complex laboratory environment and brings it to the point-of-use. The lateral flow assay device contains all necessary components (test strip, diluent, grinding mechanism) to perform infection status detection directly at the field site, eliminating the need to wait for laboratory results while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a lateral flow assay as an intermediary testing method between the tick removal and final diagnostic confirmation. This intermediary test provides rapid preliminary results that can guide immediate clinical decisions, while still allowing for confirmatory laboratory testing if needed, thus reducing the critical waiting period without sacrificing diagnostic integrity.
2Measurement precision
If ticks are transported to testing laboratories, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to transportation and processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the field site to perform its own diagnostic testing using a self-contained lateral flow assay device. The user can grind the tick, add diluent, and obtain results immediately without requiring external laboratory services, thereby eliminating transportation time and maintaining detection accuracy through the portable testing system.
3Reliability
If prophylactic antibiotics are prescribed after tick removal, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to antibiotic resistance and adverse reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides immediate feedback on the tick's infection status through rapid lateral flow assay testing. This feedback allows clinicians to make informed decisions about whether prophylactic antibiotics are actually needed, rather than prescribing them routinely. The test results guide personalized treatment decisions, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and associated harmful effects while maintaining treatment effectiveness when truly indicated.
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
Enables rapid, on-site assessment of tick infection status within minutes, reducing the risk of delayed treatment and antibiotic overuse, while also providing a cost-effective and user-friendly method for determining pathogen prevalence and exposure.
Implementation Method 1
assess infection status based on an integrated lateral flow immunoassay (LFA)
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described herein for a diluent-containing tube comprising a beveled grinding surface and operable to receive a plunger comprising a complementary beveled grinding surface. Solid matrices placed within the diluent can be ground between the grinding surfaces to release molecules into the diluent for detection. The plunger may further comprise a groove containing a test strip operable to be deployed into the diluent after grinding for detection of the released molecules. In certain embodiments, the test strip may be a lateral flow immunoassay rapid antigen detection (LFA) test strip. The solid matrix may be a tick and the molecules may be antigens or pathogens related to tick-borne illnesses.