BIOCAPT

This project is focused on the implementation of a hand-held unit for the selective capture of air-borne microorganisms. We aim to develop a new low cost, low power consumption aerosol collector-concentrator to maximize the quantity of aerosol collected in the 1-10 micrometer size range, while reducing the portion of the aerosol outside this range. The hand-held unit will extract air from the ambient environment and subsequently concentrate airborne microorganisms into a low volume of liquid. The purpose is to allow for rapid and specific capture of a wide spectrum of microorganisms. The unit will be designed to operate upstream a bio-analyser system. The device will rely on a novel aerosol-to-hydrosol electrostatic transfer stage for collection, combined with state-of-the-art dielectrophoresis techniques for efficient concentration. Together these techniques provide a means of capturing extremely low levels of air-borne pathogens into a small concentrated volume of liquid. The numerous air-borne detection applications for this device include; bioterrorism, pandemic disease surveillance (SARS, Avian flu H5N1, ...), military field combat, and prevention of nosocomial infections. The project has been evaluated and labeled by the LYON BIOPOLE center of excellence.