Grant: Alliance Grants

There is an urgent need for low-cost, portable, and rapid screening tools to detect animal diseases (such as bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease) and prevent major outbreaks. Serological testing is the most appropriate method to detect the presence of infectious diseases. However, most serological tests are still performed in a centralized laboratory facility. In addition to the cost of the test, sample collection and shipping impose additional expenses, and wait time for results can be lengthy. We are proposing to extend our existing point-of-care (POC) impedance-based technology to diagnose bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease infection within 20 minutes for less than $20 per test. We will partner with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to validate the performance of our POC device against existing serology tests with 1000 negative and 300 positive sera samples. We aim for veterinaries to use the device on site for monitoring potential pandemic outbreaks, and also for the national emergency board for pandemic management. This is a platform technology and can be adapted for use to monitor viruses of concern (Avian influenza virus and Newcastle Diseases).