Real time autonomous surveillance of pathogens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11366116-B1
Application number	US-201815951920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2018
Priority date	Apr 12, 2017
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates, in part, to systems configured to obtain samples from an organism in an autonomous manner. Such systems can employ a cartridge configured to provide bait to attract an organism, as well as channels to store and/or test samples obtained from the organism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a port that receives a mosquito or tick;
a circular carousel tray;
cartridges included in the circular carousel tray, where the cartridges are arranged symmetrically around a center of the circular tray, and further wherein the cartridges comprise a cartridge;
a stepper motor that rotates the circular carousel tray, wherein the cartridges in the circular carousel tray progress through different stations of the system as the circular carousel tray is rotated by the stepper motor, where the stations include:
a bait loading station that loads bait into a feeding well of the cartridge, the bait attracts the mosquito or tick to the bait;
an access station where the bait loaded onto the cartridge is accessed by the mosquito or tick by way of the port;
a sample preparation station that causes an agent retained in an assay channel of the cartridge to enter the feeding well with the bait to form a sample, wherein the sample preparation station includes a fluid dispensing system that dispenses a fluid buffer into the feeding well, wherein the cartridge includes a hydrophobic vent at an end of the assay channel that allows air to pass through but prevents the fluid buffer from passing through, and further wherein a vacuum is applied to the vent to facilitate flow of the fluid buffer from the feeding well into the assay channel;
a mixing station that includes a mixer that mixes the sample such that an assay for detecting a target nucleic acid is conductible;
a heating station that has a heater that provides assay conditions by heating the sample, and
a detection station that includes a light source that provides light having an excitation wavelength towards the mixed and heated sample, wherein the cartridge conducts the assay, wherein the target nucleic acid indicates presence of a pathogenic nucleic acid in the sample; and
a processing module configured to generate a signal to the heating station, the detection station, and/or the stepper motor and further configured to receive a detectable signal from the detection station, wherein the detectable signal is based upon the light having the excitation wavelength, and further wherein the detectable signal indicates whether or not the tick or mosquito deposited the pathogenic nucleic acid on the bait.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pathogenic nucleic acid is obtained from Zika virus, Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV), West Nile Virus (WNV), Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV), Western Equine Encephalitis Virus (WEEV), St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV), Dengue Virus (DENY), Marburg virus (MARV), Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), Yellow Fever Virus (YFV), Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV), Sindbis virus (SINV), Ross River virus (RRV), influenza virus, hantavirus, Rift Valley Fever virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Lassa Fever virus, or norovirus.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge comprises one or more unidirectional check valves.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the agent in the assay channel is a dried reagent.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge further comprises:
a fluid reservoir comprising the fluid buffer and a membrane configured to dispense the fluid buffer upon actuation.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bait is a dehydrated bait or a solid bait, the system further comprising:
a fluid reservoir comprising the fluid buffer and a membrane configured to dispense the fluid buffer upon actuation;
a first unidirectional check valve configured to deliver the fluid buffer to the feeding well; and
a second unidirectional check valve configured to deliver the sample from the feeding well to the assay channel.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising:
an actuator that actuates the membrane of the cartridge.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the feeding well further comprises a metal ball bearing.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a spinning magnet that rotates the metal ball bearing within the feeding well.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge conducts a multiplexed assay.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the assay comprises:
a first primer comprising a first nucleic acid sequence having sufficient complementarity to bind to a site in the pathogenic nucleic acid; and
a quench probe comprising a second nucleic acid sequence having sufficient complementarity to bind to a first portion of the first primer and further comprising a quencher label operably linked to the second nucleic acid sequence, wherein a melting temperature T m of the quench probe is less than about 65° C.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a network relay module that relays an electronic signal from the processing module, wherein the electronic signal is based upon the detectable signal.

13. The system of claim 1 being comprised by an assembly, the assembly comprising:
a field trap that houses the system and traps a plurality of mosquitos;
a network relay module that relays an electronic signal from the processing module; and
an external power source module that provides power to the system, the field trap, and/or the network relay module.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the agent comprises a first primer, a first quench probe, a first signal probe, a second primer, a second quench probe, and/or a second signal probe.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the agent is a stabilizing agent.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bait included in the bait station is a spun sugar bait.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bait included in the bait station includes poly(ethylene glycol).

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the bait included in the bait station includes between 1% and 70% poly(ethylene glycol) by weight, between 0.5% and 95% of granulated sugar by weight, and honey.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein an order that the cartridge progresses through the stations as the stepper motor rotates the carousel is the bait loading station followed by the access station followed by the sample preparation station followed by the mixing station followed by the heating station followed by the detection station.

Assignees

• Nat Tech & Eng Solutions Sandia Llc

Inventors

• Meagher Robert
• Renzi Ronald F
• Ball Cameron Scott
• Priye Aashish
• Helm Jonathan Ivers
• Carson Bryan
• Langevin Stanley Alan

Classifications

• A01M1/02

  with devices {or substances, e.g. food, pheronones} attracting the insects · CPC title

• B01L9/527

  for microfluidic devices, e.g. used for lab-on-a-chip · CPC title

• B01L3/502715 Primary

  characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces · CPC title

• B01L2400/0481

  squeezing of channels or chambers · CPC title

• B01L2200/0684

  Venting, avoiding backpressure, avoid gas bubbles · CPC title