Smartpolymer · Developing smart polymer compositions for highly sensitive multiplex PCR assays

Developing smart polymer compositions for highly sensitive multiplex PCR assays

The project Smartpolymer is dedicated to the development of smart polymer compositions for highly sensitive PCR assays that are able to detect multiple pathogens. Nowadays being confronted to a huge world sanitary crisis caused by COVID-19 virus this is clear for everybody that we need further and further to develop fast, sensitive and easy-to-perform tests for detection of different pathogens. These are all kind of viruses like Coronaviruses, Influenza viruses, plurality of bacteria responsible for water and food contamination, causing such dangerous diseases as Pneumonia, bacterial meningitis, a lot of sexually transmitted diseases and so on. Thefore, the important mission is to develop ultrafast PCR machines and tests, able to detect all of these pathogens in a fast, user-friendly and highly sensitive way. PCR, polymerase chain reaction, is a molecular diagnostic method based on rapid production of millions to billions of copies of DNA or RNA of bacteria or virus, allowing to detect ultra-small quantities of pathogens in a sample. PCR technique greatly overtops traditional petri-dish culture methods due to its superior fastness (the analysis takes several hours instead of several days), ability to detect viruses and non-growable bacteria. However, culturing methods still remain in use because of their reliability, efficiency, sensitivity, and range of applications, such as ability to quantify down to few bacteria, to acess antibioresistance and bacterial specie identification. In the project "Smartpolymer" we develop a new method of analysis that uniquely combines PCR and Petri dish technologies in so called “Molecular Petri dish” technology. This is achieved by changing the PCR media from water to a specially designed polymer matrix. This matrix is able to capture every bacteria or virus in the sample separately from each other. After the PCR the matrix also captures generated multiple copies of bacterial or viruses’ genetic material nearby their “parent locations”. The principle is the same as in traditional Petri dish, however our technology allows way more fast and sensitive detection of pathogens in less than 1 hour. What is more, in combination with BforCure Chronos machine the analysis can be performed outside the big laboratories without the need of trained personnel and special equipment. So, the main objective of the project "Smartpolymer" is to design, synthesize and optimize smart polymer compositions that would allow fast and precise detection of multiple pathogens.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз