A panel of B cells, engineered to detect a variety of pathogens, can then be integrated into a microfluidic chip. Preliminary results in a model system, with several prototype microfluidic chip designs, demonstrated high specificity and rapid response. The next major thrust that I will discuss is medical countermeasures. The goal is to target the fundamental mechanisms of disease, the features that are unique to pathogens, and to find ways to shift the host-pathogen balance in our favor. Immunization is one way to shift the balance.
Current vaccines take time to make, are slow to take effect, and cover one pathogen at a time.
As I mentioned earlier, a key strategy is to target functions that are essential for the pathogen, and that are shared by many different pathogens. Here are some examples. They found a number of genes that had never before been identified. Some functions are also essential to pathogen reproduction and survival. This project at Stanford University is targeting an important housekeeping gene, found in the BW threat agent Brucella and a number of other pathogens.