Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

We are developing an innovative wireless communication-enabled lab-on-a-chip detection platform for on-site detection and monitoring of mosquito-borne diseases. Dangerous viral and bacterial pathogens are transmitted through mosquito vectors, resulting in serious endemic diseases with life-threatening symptoms. Although mosquito eradication programs are in place, the severe acute health effects of these infections necessitate constant detection and monitoring of mosquito-borne pathogens. Current monitoring methodologies share common shortcomings in terms of cost, suitability for field-use, user-friendliness, analysis time, specificity and sensitivity. Here, we propose a detection system that integrates sample treatments, target isolation and detection and wireless data transmission to monitoring offices. We will develop a low-cost, disposable microfluidic biosensor chip that is capable of sample homogenization, isothermal amplification of pathogen RNA/DNA and on-chip detection of amplification products. Integrated with wireless communication capability that seamlessly transmits data to monitoring offices, we can achieve rapid assessment of mosquito-borne pathogen prevalence, allowing timely action to fight against potential outbreaks.