Grant: Engage Grants for universities

The emergence of drug resistant infectious disease is a growing threat to public health. Healthcare acquired_x000D_ infections (HAI) are the 4th leading cause of death in Canada and expected to be the 2nd cause of mortality by_x000D_ 2050. One of the primary causes of spread of these infections is inadequate detection and disinfection_x000D_ processes at vulnerable sites such as clinics, hospitals, transportation hubs, schools, and long term care_x000D_ facilities. In order to cull unnecessary infection resulting from transmission originating from contaminated_x000D_ facilities, rapid identification of infection agents is critical to assess risk and determine adequate quarantine_x000D_ and disinfection procedures to put into place. At present, the prompt determination of antibiotic resistant_x000D_ bacteria is not possible because existing technologies require a time-consuming pre-culturing step to reach_x000D_ detectable levels. In the absence of rapid results, risk assessment is conducted solely on experience and_x000D_ judgment rather than diagnostic data. To address the unmet need for a rapid and fully integrated technologies_x000D_ for bacterial detection and identification, the proposed research in this objective will develop and validate_x000D_ components capable of pathogen identification on physical surfaces.