A prototype for a new DNA detection method has the potential for life-changing applications and the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative looks to commercialize the technology in partnership with LightSprite, a start-up company newly-formed by inventors and Notre Dame faculty Steven Ruggiero and Carol Tanner.
The device involves a technique called Laser Transmission Spectroscopy (LTS) and is capable of rapidly determining the size, shape and number of nanoparticles in suspension.
Professors Tanner and Ruggiero said a recent practical demonstration showed LTS capable of detecting species-specific DNA, where the presence of one invasive species of mussel was differentiated from a closely related sister species, as recently reported in PLoS One. The technique will next be applied to a broad range of invasives including Asian carp.
“We anticipate good outcomes from this new technology as we work to facilitate the commercialization of this application,” explained Peter Annin, managing director of ND-ECI, a tenant of Innovation Park at Notre Dame.
The inventors note that “the technique is highly sensitive and takes only a few seconds to score a genetic sampling of a species, as opposed to hours or more with conventional systems.”
“This is a portable device with the potential to offer results on the spot, which could then be immediately wired back to the laboratory where researchers are standing by,” explained Annin. “Immediacy is key here.”
Scientists continue to test the device under different conditions and say the technique could eventually serve as an important tool in detecting human pathogens, and in understanding and indicating the presence of genetic diseases such as cancer.
The research of ND-ECI aids in the development of new technology and tools for managers and decision-makers, including improved models for environmental forecasting, nitrogen sensors for better pollution management, rapid detection for rare species and online climate collaboratory.
ND-ECI contains seven core Notre Dame affiliated faculty members and 40 more broadly affiliated faculty with a wide array of expertise.
Visit www.environmentalchange.nd.edu for more information.