Selection and testing of different antibodies for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to capture bacteria, such as Staphylococcus Aureus.
Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by pathogens that can get into the body and therefore cause existential threats. The COVID pandemic has demonstrated how disruptive even mild pathogens can be for society, and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance is increasing at alarming rates. In conjunction with this, sepsis (i.e., systemic response to infection) is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide and this percentage is rising. Without breakthrough pharmaceutical solutions, the future depends on finding innovative approaches to manage infectious agents effectively.
A promising contributor to the solution of this very complex issue is microbiological diagnostics. Currently, information on whether to quarantine a patient is usually available too late. Standard culture-based diagnostic tests, usually performed in centralized labs, take three to five days from sampling to results, delaying timely and precise treatments. However, fast and accurate pathogen detection could significantly reduce infection spread and save lives.
Over the past five decades, microbiological diagnostics in clinical practice have evolved minimally. Conversely, emerging technologies are enabling radical new possibilities. Innovation in nanotechnology, microfluidic integration and surface chemistry have enabled the revolutionary ORCHIDD technology, allowing for the first time to simply count viruses and bacteria, one by one.
For diagnostics involving bacteria, the state of the art is culturing samples on culture plates, optionally in an antibiogram format to determine drug resistivity. This process takes three to five days—sometimes longer—and most patients require immediate intervention. Consequently, physicians often rely on empirical therapy, typically involving broad-spectrum antibiotics based on limited information, which drives antimicrobial resistance and is therefore not a sustainable way of working.
Consequently, there is an urgent and crucial need for point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic tools which have more sensitivity & reliability, higher throughput, and lower cost. Therefore, the student will select and test different antibodies for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to capture bacteria, such as Staphylococcus Aureus. If the right antibody is selected, the student can functionalise the chip and test the selected antibody on the ORCHIDD platform.
Project duration:
Spring 24/25 (February 2025 – July 2025)
Educational programs:
– Biomedical Lab Research (BML)
Interested, please send your motivation letter and CV before the 8th of December 2024 to Martin Bennink (m.bennink@saxion.nl)