Functionalization of the ORCHIDD platform using antibodies for the detection of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.
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 functionalize the microfluidic chips with antibodies for use in the ORCHIDD platform, with the aim to develop a proof-of-concept assay for specific detection of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. The work will entail optimisation of the functionalisation methods, as well as the measurement conditions.
Project duration:
Spring 2025/2026 (Feb – July)
Internship or graduation project:
Graduation project only
Educational programs:
- Biology and Medical Lab (BML, coretask Innovation)
Interested, please send your motivation letter and CV before the 23th of November to appliednanotechnology.led@saxion.nl and include Kim Roekevisch (k.roekevisch.01@saxion.nl) in the CC.