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A. J. BAEUMNER, Dept. of Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell Univ., 318 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701 Research in the Bioanalytical Microsystems and Biosensors Lab at Cornell University focuses on the development of rapid and portable biosensors for the detection of pathogens in the environment, food and for clinical diagnostics. Based on earlier developed simple and specific optical RNA biosensors for B. anthracis, C. parvum, Dengue virus and E. coli, bioanalytical microsystems are now being developed in which the detection is combined with sample preparation utilizing technologies in nano and microfabrication to achieve single cell detection. This research aims toward the creation of an easy-to-use but sophisticated micro-Total Analysis System. The bioanalytical microsystems use the same biological principles as were used in the simple biosensors, i.e. RNA recognition via DNA/RNA hybridization and liposome amplification. However, novel sample preparation systems, novel molecular biology amplification (NASBA) chambers, and intricate hybridization channel patterns are being designed, nanofabricated and investigated. For the development and optimization of the devices, a variety of different materials (PDMS, PMMA, silicon and glass) are used. In this paper, we present the principles and techniques of our bioanalytical microsystem modules, i.e. a laser-induced cell lysis system, ultramicroelectrode electrodes as transducers, RNA purification, highly sensitive and specific detection of B. anthracis and Dengue virus. We will also demonstrate the feasibility of detecting a variety of other biological warfare agents. Extremely low detection limits in the femtomole to attomole range are achievable using our portable devices. The bioanalytical microsystems under investigation focus on the very rapid detection of pathogens and will find their application in routine drinking water testing, food analysis, environmental water testing, and in clinical diagnostics. An outlook of the impact of nanotechnologies on the detection of pathogenic organisms in food sample matrices will be given since this is the logical next step in the development of nanosensors for food safety.
Session 45, Nanoscale science, engineering and technology for food safety and quality
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