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Yeast-Based Biosensor for Organophosphate Detection

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Office for Chemical and Biological Defense
Contract: DAMD17-02-C-0098
Agency Tracking Number: C021-0030
Amount: $69,938.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2002
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
2851 Commerce Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060
United States
DUNS: 627132913
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Thomas Wavering
 Principal Investigator
 (434) 972-9951
 waveringt@lunainnovations.com
Business Contact
 Garnett Linkous
Title: Chief Admin. Officer
Phone: (540) 953-4274
Email: linkousg@lunainnovations.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

"There exists a military and homeland security need for rapid, accurate and sensitive methods for the detection of organophosphates in cluttered environments. For this Phase I program, the Luna Innovations team proposes to create receptors targeted againstorganophosphate targets. These receptors can be easily, cheaply and rapidly modified to defeat countermeasures. The ability of these receptors to activate transcription in response to the target will be exploited in a yeast-based biosensor. Yeast are anextremely hardy organism able to survive temperature extremes and desiccation for long periods of time and, therefore, are ideal to use as the basis of a whole cell biosensor. The Luna team has previously engineered yeast to fluoresce under long UV lightupon target binding. The yeast could also be engineered so that in response to the target, a signal transduction cascade is activated that leads to an easily and rapidly measured parameter, such as a change in membrane potential. The Luna team is bothqualified and motivated to build upon their combined demonstrated abilities to develop and commercialize this revolutionary technology. Research concerning whole cell biosensors will yield immediate applications in 1) chemical/ biological agent detection,2) mine detection, 3) drinking and wastewater monitoring, 4) large-scale, high-speed testing in the medical field, 5) chemical analysis, and 6) intelligent process monitoring of adva

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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