Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Mosquitos carry many infectious pathogens that can significantly affect a patient's health as well as other people that the patients come into contact with. Currently, there is a major global scare with the transmission of the Zika virus, which has been implicated in cerebral brain malformations among fetuses and newborns. Given advances in transportation vehicles, there is a significant risk of the virus being imported back to countries where the mosquitos carry it are found. There remains an urgent need to develop simple methods to rapidly diagnose Zika virus infection as it continues to spread to new locations. Rapid diagnosis in areas with reduced access to testing laboratories will allow appropriate management of pregnant women who become infected and implement control measures as the virus spreads to new, often remote areas. Here, in this project, our aim is to develop a unique colour-based test using nanotechnology components to be able to rapidly diagnose patients that are presenting symptoms for the Zika virus, as well as two other important mosquito borne viruses, dengue and chikungunya virus. Testing of the 3 viruses is important to determine proper treatment, as patients infected with either of three viruses may present the same symptoms. We will further develop a smartphone readout system that enables the quantification and monitoring of transmission of Zika virus. A team consisting of an engineer and two medical doctors is assembled to build and test this diagnostic device. Our commercial partners have the infrastructure to build the device and reagents, test the diagnostic systems, and to globally sell and distribute the technology for use in patient care.