DINAMICS Develop Sensor To Detect Bio Terrorism

Terrorism is a ‘widely talked about’ topic these days not only in civil world but also in Biological world. ‘Superbug’ was a hot words a few days back and even today, with all news papers covering news about it. It is actually a most dreaded bug because of its ‘antibiotics resistant’ nature. How can we recognize if the very glass in your hands with which you are drinking water contains a deadly pathogen? Thanks to researchers associated with DINAMICS it seems that we have found a solution.

A team of researchers from Diagnostic nanotech and microtech Sensors also abbreviated as DINAMICS have recently designed and developed a chip/device basically a ‘sensor’ which can detect these pathogens. This device can be used to detect pathogens even at lower concentrations which would otherwise be very difficult. The sensor used, contains minuscule strands of pathogens bound on sensor’s surface.  In other words, the researchers incorporated DNAs of pathogens on this chip. When this device is chip is immersed in a fluid (say water) to be tested of pathogens, the chip will bind those pathogens if present, in water. That means if suppose we have DNA of ‘A’ on that chip, then after we immerse that chip, we can easily bind other ‘A’ pathogens present in water sample. However once this thing is done, then the researchers apply a process of Chemiluminescence.

What is Chemiluminescence?

Chemiluminescence is as the name suggests is emission of light due to certain process#-Link-Snipped-# generally a chemical reaction. It is different from fluorescence. In Chemiluminescence atoms are excited due to chemical reaction than other conventional methods of atom excitation. The researchers take advantage of this phenomenon only. The pathogens are made to emit light thus exhibiting Chemiluminescence because of which it becomes easy to detect deadly pathogens if any.

There is an alternative technique even if we do not use Chemiluminescence. DINAMICS has also developed some electrical technique. That is once a pathogen is bound the sensor generates an electrical signal which is proportional to the concentration of pathogens in water sample. In this way we have some back up and portability too.

Portability of this device

Any chip or sensor which we will be using must be portable. It becomes a popular choice and a commercial product rather than collecting water samples and testing them in laboratory. If we can make a portable device with which we can go about and make a test would be a popular choice won’t it? Keeping this in mind, scientists have worked to make this technology portable. Portability will not only ensure a convenient device but also assure speedy detection. We are lucky to have this.

In present day even if you detect these pathogens by certain technique still it would be difficult if the pathogen is in very low concentrations. Now this device only ‘detects’, and it is in laboratory stages. Regarding super bugs? Well we need to wait and see. Terrorists are using biological techniques to create terror. This is called Bio terrorism. But Bioterrorism would perhaps be worlds one of the worst problems to tackle in future. However, for every tragedy, our brilliant scientists seem to work out a solution every time, isn’t it?

Source: A new detection system can reveal bioterrorist attacks on our water supply network Image: #-Link-Snipped-#