BIO-PROTECT
"Ionisation-based detector of airborne bio-agents, viruses and toxins for fast-alert and identification"
| Coordinatore | LGI CONSULTING SARL
Organization address
address: RUE MARIVAUX 13 contact info |
| Nazionalità Coordinatore | France [FR] |
| Sito del progetto | http://fp7-bioprotect.eu/ |
| Totale costo | 3˙955˙203 € |
| EC contributo | 3˙125˙577 € |
| Programma | FP7-SECURITY
Specific Programme "Cooperation": Security |
| Code Call | FP7-SEC-2009-1 |
| Funding Scheme | CP |
| Anno di inizio | 2010 |
| Periodo (anno-mese-giorno) | 2010-06-01 - 2014-01-31 |
Partecipanti
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
LGI CONSULTING SARL
Organization address
address: RUE MARIVAUX 13 contact info |
FR (PARIS) | coordinator | 645˙576.00 |
| 2 |
ROBERT KOCH-INSTITUT
Organization address
address: Nordufer 20 contact info |
DE (Berlin) | participant | 659˙830.00 |
| 3 |
Environics Oy
Organization address
address: Graanintie 5 contact info |
FI (Mikkeli) | participant | 583˙900.00 |
| 4 |
Environics-IUT GmbH
Organization address
address: Volmerstrasse 7B contact info |
DE (Berlin) | participant | 279˙120.00 |
| 5 |
C-TECH INNOVATION LIMITED
Organization address
address: Capenhurst Technology Park contact info |
UK (CHESTER) | participant | 278˙776.90 |
| 6 |
AALBORG UNIVERSITET
Organization address
address: FREDRIK BAJERS VEJ 5 contact info |
DK (AALBORG) | participant | 259˙612.80 |
| 7 |
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Organization address
address: RUE LEBLANC 25 contact info |
FR (PARIS 15) | participant | 206˙404.40 |
| 8 |
Nome Ente NON disponibile
Organization address
address: Volmerstrasse 7B contact info |
DE (Berlin) | participant | 194˙680.00 |
| 9 |
O ZURAVLIOVO IMONE AVSISTA
Organization address
address: LAKUNU G 6/32 contact info |
LT (VILNIAUS) | participant | 17˙676.90 |
Mappa
Word cloud
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Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)
'The malevolent use of Anthrax spores on civilians in late 2001 has shown the necessity to protect European citizens from criminal use of biological agents and viruses. Although these attacks had been punctual and crude, more sophisticated attacks on dozens or hundreds of injured or killed people are conceivable. When launching such an attack its success depends on concentrating a sufficient amount of pathogens in a defined area.
Hence safeguarding a certain area regarding biological agents demands the detection of pathogenous bacteria, spores and viruses in various matrices (e.g. Anthrax in flour or sugar) or suspicious aerosols. This can only be accomplished by triggering a short-term alarm and its validation as well as the identification of the type of threat.
Since most of the bio sensors available are laboratory bound or require special equipment which needs training as well as experience, new systems are needed.
The concept of BIO-PROTECT is the development of a fast-alert, easy-to-use device to be applied for detection and identification of airborne bacteria, spores, viruses and toxins . Its technology is based on bioaerosol detection by fluorescence, scattering and background aerosol measurement followed by ionisation of air flow and analysis of the spectrum of relative speed of passage, which, in turns, enables identification of harmful biological agents.
This device may also be used for controlling potential accidental release of bio-agents from biotechnology laboratories.'
Introduzione (Teaser)
Scientists in close collaboration with technology developers are developing a portable unit to detect and analyse airborne biological agents. The system should facilitate a rapid and life-saving response in the case of biological terrorism or accidental laboratory release.
Descrizione progetto (Article)
The threat of terrorism and the criminal use of biological agents and viruses is ever-present. The number of people affected by such attacks and the degree to which they are affected depends on many factors, among them the agent of choice, its concentration and the time it has to act before measures are taken.
Scientists are developing a portable system to be used as an immediate alarm system for airborne biological agents, viruses and toxins with EU funding of the BIO-Protect project. Technology relies on bio-aerosol detection (detection of airborne particles containing or released by living organisms), followed by identification of contents via ionisation and spectral analysis. It should be equally useful for bio-terrorism as well as for accidental release of bio-agents from laboratories.
To date, scientists have improved bio-aerosol collection and made the collector itself smaller for integration in a portable device. The first responder (ENVI BioScout, now patented) was developed to be a portable, stand-alone unit. It combines three functions in a single device: continuous monitoring of ambient air, an early-warning trigger and subsequent automatic air sample collection.
Bio-detection relies on a miniaturised gas chromatograph-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) system capable of identifying and separating very small amounts of a wide range of organic molecules. The GC-IMS was adapted to separate all types of bio-agents of interest from the aerosol. A combined pre-concentration and pyrolysis unit was also developed, capable of taking a wet sample and preparing it for use with the GC-IMS.
The BIO-Protect consortium successfully demonstrated the ability of the coupled pyrolysis-IMS system to deliver reproducible spectra from bio-agent samples in the collector. Self-learning pattern analysis software reproducibly distinguished hazards through comparison of spectra.
BIO-Protect technology is not meant to replace the need for hazardous materials (Hazmat) teams, but rather to foster fast bio-safety actions until trained personnel arrive or can provide detailed instructions based on evaluation of data via hardwire or an Internet link. It can thus mobilise the public and minimise panic, saving lives.