Towards the development of a point-of-care detection system for acute respiratory infections

Pneumonia remains the leading cause of death in children under 5 worldwide, killing an estimated 1.4 million children each year. In order to improve clinical outcomes, appropriate treatment(s) need to be started as soon as possible. It is therefore essential that a definitive diagnosis can be made in a timely manner. Using microwave-assisted sample-preparation techniques, this project will focus on isolating both pathogen and host biomarkers associated with childhood pneumonia. Molecular probes will be designed against these target markers for integration with a number of state-of-the-art biosensing systems under development within the IDTH.

The project will involve:
Selection of pathogen and host biomarkers associated with acute respiratory infections
Design of molecular probes that recognise selected markers
Immobilisation of probes to metal surfaces for integration within a biosensing system