Viraless

Problem

Biothreats and detection of pathogens

Harmful biological agents, whether naturally, accidentally, or deliberately relreased, can cause great harm to humanity. Bacteria, viruses, fungi - biological agents are infectious, virulent, easily and cheaply engineered, and thus are more dangerous than any other type of warfare. They can be aerosolized in the air, dissolved in water stocks, or even sent by mail. With the long incubation period,infectious agents can affect thousands of people before being detected and identified. Recent outbreaks of the coronavirus and monkeypox have reminded us of how vulnerable the humanity is. There is a need for rapid detection of emerging biological threats. It must be suitable for detection of multiple pathogens in various environments and at different concentrations; it must be both sensitive and specific for reliable detection and identification of pathogen particles.

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Solution

Optic-fiber based immunosensor

Viraless is a system of optic fibers functionalized with monoclonal antibodies specific to membrane protiens of orthopoxviruses genus. It is meant to be used for real time detection of the viral particles in different fluids, such as water stock, sewage water, and even bodily fluids. Our system is higlhy sensitive and specific for proteins of interest and can detect the presense of the pathogen even at pikomolar level.

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Vaccinia Virus

How we did it?

01

Human-Centered Design


Novel solution for rapid detection of biological agents

Before procedding with the project we have done an extensive research and talked to experts, epidemiologists, researchers, and end-users about our idea. We have received valuable feedback about how to properly design and implement our project. Viraless is product of global importnace that can be used to address both world-wide and local biothreats.
Description

Project

Description
Human Practices

Beyond the Lab

Human Practices
Design

Lab

Design
Engineering Success

Engineering

Engineering Success
02

Revolutionizing biodefense


Portable and easy-to-use system for antigen detection in environmental waters

We proposed a brand new approach to detection of the pathogenic agents using functionalized optical fibers. Our device is capable of highly sensitive and specific real-time detection of natural and engineered biological agents. It is a scalable and cost effective instrument that can help to mitigate the effect of biothreats by timely detection and identification of harmful particles.
Results

Lab

Results
Hardware

Engineering

Hardware
Software

Engineering

Software
Modeling

Engineering

Model
03

Engineering equity


alternative approach to reimagine accessibility in synthetic biology

We realized that there is a sharp deficiency of high-quality educational materials accessible to visually impaired and sighted students. We planned to use our resources and creativity to develop unique and optimal solutions, such as interactive games, 3D models, and other valuable educational materials.
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Beyond the Lab

Communication
Inclusivity

Impact

Inclusivity
Education

Impact

Education
Contribution

Project

Contribution

Advantages of Viraless

Speed

real time detection of the pathogenic particles

Sensitivity

detection of peptides even at the pikomolar level

Specificity

lowest rates of false-positive outcomes

Viraless logo. Letter V only.

Cost efficiency

cheap production of functiona optic fibers

Agile

easily extrapolated and adjustable system

Multiplexing

detection of multiple agents simultaneously

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