The overall purpose of this effort is to develop an improved mycotoxin assay using a handheld, automated immunoassay device. The device, known as the Miniaturized Flow Injection Immunoassay (MFIIA) implements a patented assay developed by NIST. The assay uses signal amplification by way of liposomes containing fluorescent markers. This allows highly accurate and sensitive measurements from a field-portable machine. The MFIIA uses a cartridge format to allow the user to easily and rapidly switch among different analytes.In the proposed work, aflatoxin will be the analyte. The performance of the MFIIA will be compared to that of the laboratory scale assay and to a leading commercially available aflatoxin assay.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research::There are numerous commercial applications for a device such as the MFIIA. By simply changing the liposome-antibody complexes, the device can be used in applications ranging from point-of-care medical analysis to raw food inspection to environmental monitoring functions.
