Stratophase will lead a project to develop a direct immunoassay system for detecting foot and mouth disease.
The government-sponsored Technology Strategy Board will co-fund the GBP1m development of the system, which will enable inspectors and ultimately vets and farmers to quickly identify the infection on the spot, reducing false alarms and containment time.
The project will involve teams from Stratophase, the University of Cambridge, Bristol Industrial and Research Associates Limited and Chelsea Technologies Group.
The new detector system, the Portable Direct Immunoassay Diagnosis Device for Animals and Humans (PDIDDAH), will be more sensitive and accurate than the field-deployable antibody-based lateral flow tests presently available.
Laboratory-based techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are the most commonly used but, although they are sensitive, processing (sample transport, analysis and results) can take days or weeks.
Half of the project's GBP1m budget will fund the development of Stratophase's Spectrosens sensor chips.
The sensor system being developed will collect pathogens from the air and put them into a liquid stream.
The Spectrosens optical detectors will then analyse the liquid, in the field.
The optical chips are coated with antibodies designed to attract specific antigens.
When a targeted agent sticks to the surface, the chip undergoes a minute change in optical spectrum, confirming the presence (or absence) of the disease.
Dr Devaki Bhatta, project leader of Stratophase, said: 'One of the most important developments that will be realised in this system is the ability to collect and identify airborne pathogens.
'This will remove the need for swabs and blood samples.
'This project will develop a foot and mouth detection unit, but using different antibodies, the system could be used to identify TB and a range of other serious illnesses that affect livestock.' Dr Richard Williams, chief executive officer of Stratophase, said: 'The Technology Strategy Board investment will enable us to develop a practical solution much faster than would otherwise have been feasible.
'This technology could be mass-produced fairly inexpensively; every livestock owner could have one.' Spectrosens technology was initially developed for counter-bioterrorism applications but is also suited to pharmaceutical manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, industrial process control and drug discovery applications.
