WO2023212351A1 - Système de détection d'agents pathogènes et de décontamination - Google Patents

Système de détection d'agents pathogènes et de décontamination Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023212351A1
WO2023212351A1 PCT/US2023/020455 US2023020455W WO2023212351A1 WO 2023212351 A1 WO2023212351 A1 WO 2023212351A1 US 2023020455 W US2023020455 W US 2023020455W WO 2023212351 A1 WO2023212351 A1 WO 2023212351A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
pathogens
cartridge
sample
pathogen
filter
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Application number
PCT/US2023/020455
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English (en)
Inventor
Vaishnavi YATHIRAJAM
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Manakin Llc
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Publication of WO2023212351A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023212351A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N1/00—Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
    • G01N1/02—Devices for withdrawing samples
    • G01N1/22—Devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state
    • G01N1/2202—Devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state involving separation of sample components during sampling
    • G01N1/2205—Devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state involving separation of sample components during sampling with filters
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N1/00—Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
    • G01N1/02—Devices for withdrawing samples
    • G01N1/22—Devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state
    • G01N1/2273—Atmospheric sampling
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N1/00—Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
    • G01N1/02—Devices for withdrawing samples
    • G01N1/22—Devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state
    • G01N1/24—Suction devices
    • G01N2001/245—Fans
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/75—Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated
    • G01N21/77—Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated by observing the effect on a chemical indicator
    • G01N2021/7769—Measurement method of reaction-produced change in sensor
    • G01N2021/7786—Fluorescence
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
    • G01N35/00009—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor provided with a sample supporting tape, e.g. with absorbent zones
    • G01N2035/00019—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor provided with a sample supporting tape, e.g. with absorbent zones cassette structures
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
    • G01N35/00009—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor provided with a sample supporting tape, e.g. with absorbent zones

Definitions

  • This present disclosure generally relates to pathogen detection and decontamination and, more particularly, to methods and systems for detecting pathogens (e.g., viruses and bacteria) within an environment, decontaminating the environment based on the detection of pathogens, or both.
  • pathogens e.g., viruses and bacteria
  • Microbial contamination is an increasing problem in hospitals and medical facilities. Approximately 1 in 25 patients in U.S. hospitals is diagnosed with at least one infection related to hospital care alone. Sterilization systems are essential for ensuring that the air and surfaces within a room are decontaminated. Conventional sterilization systems utilize devices that release hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) or ultraviolet light (UV) to assist with sterilization.
  • HPV hydrogen peroxide vapor
  • UV ultraviolet light
  • Some currently available systems may be unable to detect and/or identify pathogens as quickly and/or as accurately as desired.
  • some currently available systems may be unable to detect and/or identify different types of pathogens in a large environment (e.g., a large room, a hospital room, the interior of an aircraft, etc.) as quickly and/or as accurately as desired.
  • FIG. l is a block diagram of a pathogen management system for use in detecting one or more pathogens and decontaminating (e.g., disinfecting, sterilizing, etc.) based on the pathogen(s) detected in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • decontaminating e.g., disinfecting, sterilizing, etc.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a pathogen management system 200 in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • Pathogen management system 200 may be implemented using autonomous/telepresence robotic sterilization system 201.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of an autonomous/telepresence sterilization system that includes the HPV emitter device from FIG. 2 in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a pathogen management system from FIGS. 2-3 and includes features contemplated for the pathogen detection system and HPV emitter device in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a pathogen detection system 500 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the sample processing system 506 of FIG. 6 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 7 is an illustration of a perspective (e.g., front perspective) view of a biosensor device in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 8 is an illustration of another perspective (e.g., back perspective) view of the biosensor device from FIG. 7 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FTG. 9 is an illustration of side view (e g., front view) of the biosensor device from FIGs. 7-8 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 10 is an illustration of top view of the biosensor device from FIGS. 7-9 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method detecting pathogens within an environment and decontaminating the environment in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method detecting pathogens within an environment in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for decontaminating an environment in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • Fig. 14 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with various embodiments.
  • a sterilization system may include pathogen detection systems for detecting and identifying pathogens in an environment.
  • the pathogen detection system and biosensor device described by the various embodiments herein may be used within a larger system such as, for example, a sterilization system.
  • the sterilization system may be an autonomous/telepresence robotic sterilization system for sterilizing the environment in response to an alert or notification that one or more pathogens of interest have been detected.
  • Various types of sterilization techniques may be used including, but not limited to, hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), peroxyacetic acid, vinegar, etc.
  • the pathogen detection system may include a biosensor device that can collect a sample from a large space (e.g., a room, a hospital room, a hospital waiting room, a hospital operating room, a hospital hallway, the interior of an aircraft, a bedroom, a house, an apartment, a classroom in a school, a warehouse, etc ).
  • the biosensor device can detect the presence of one or more types of pathogens (e.g., viruses, bacteria, etc.) in the ambient air within the environment.
  • the biosensor device may be able to generate an output (e.g., binary code) that can be mapped to a microbe identifier.
  • This microbe identifier may identify or may be mapped to a particular pathogen.
  • the systems and methods described herein may be capable of detecting and identifying pathogens more quickly (e.g., real-time, near real-time, within seconds, within less than a minute, etc.) and more accurately as compared to at least some existing systems.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pathogen management system for use in detecting one or more pathogens and decontaminating (e.g., disinfecting, sterilizing, etc.) based on the pathogen(s) detected in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • decontaminating e.g., disinfecting, sterilizing, etc.
  • Pathogen management system 100 includes pathogen detection system 102 and decontamination system 104.
  • Pathogen detection system 102 may be used to detect the presence of one or more different types of pathogens in an environment 106.
  • Environment 106 may take any number of different forms and may include any number of spaces or areas.
  • environment 106 may take the form of, or include, a room, a hospital room, a hospital waiting room, a hospital operating room, a hospital hallway, the interior of an aircraft, a bedroom, a house, an apartment, a classroom in a school, a warehouse, a hallway, a bathroom, a publicly used area, a cafeteria, or some other type of area or combination of areas.
  • Environment 106 may include a volume of ambient air, one or more surfaces, or both within an enclosed space, a partially enclosed space, or an open space. Any number of persons, animals, objects, systems, tissue samples, organisms, or combination thereof may be present within environment.
  • Pathogen detection system 102 of pathogen management system 100 may include biosensor device 116.
  • Biosensor device 116 may be used to detect the presence of one or more types of pathogens based on a sample collected from the ambient air.
  • a pathogen may take the form of, for example, without limitation, a bacteria, a virus, a fungus, or some other type of microbial organism.
  • Decontamination system 104 may be used to decontaminate environment 106. Decontamination can include, for example, disinfection, sterilization, some other form of decontamination, or a combination thereof. Disinfection may include reducing the level of pathogens. Sterilization may include eliminating all, or nearly all, pathogens.
  • Decontamination system 104 may use, for example, one or more different types of decontamination fluids (e.g., disinfectant solutions, disinfectant vapors, etc.) to decontaminate.
  • decontamination fluids e.g., disinfectant solutions, disinfectant vapors, etc.
  • pathogen management system 100 operates fully autonomously. In some cases, pathogen management system 100 operates at least partially autonomously. Pathogen management system 100 may operate based on input 108 received from, for example, without limitation, remote device 110. Pathogen management system 100 may be in communication with remote device 110 via, for example, network 112. For example, pathogen management system 100 may be in communication with remote device 110 via one or more communications links (e g., one or more wired, one or more wireless, one or more optical communications links, ). In one or more embodiments, pathogen management system 100 may communicate with remote device 110 over one or more wireless communication links, wired communication links, optical communication links, or a combination thereof.
  • communications links e g., one or more wired, one or more wireless, one or more optical communications links, .
  • a user 114 may enter input 108 via remote device 110 to control operation of pathogen detection system 102, decontamination system 104, or both.
  • the user 114 may be, for example, a hospital administrator, a medical professional (e.g., a doctor, a nurse, a nurse practitioner, a medical technician), a homeowner, a scientist, a researcher, a professor, a teacher, a principal, a pilot, a flight attendant, a parent, or some other user wanting to decontaminate environment 106.
  • pathogen management system 100 may generate one or more outputs that are sent over network 112 to remote device 110, one or more other remote devices, or a combination thereof. For example, when pathogen detection system 102 detects the presence of a pathogen, pathogen detection system 102 may generate a report that is sent over network 112 to remote device 110.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a pathogen management system 200 in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • Pathogen management system 200 may be implemented using autonomous/telepresence robotic sterilization system 201. It will be appreciated that autonomous/tel epresence robotic sterilization system 201 overcomes one or more of the abovelisted problems commonly associated with conventional sterilization systems.
  • Pathogen management system 200, and thereby, autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 may be one example of an implementation for pathogen management system 100 in FIG. 1.
  • autonomous/telepresence robotic sterilization system 201 includes pathogen detection system 202 and hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) emitter device 204, each of which may operate autonomously or semi-autonomously.
  • Pathogen detection system 202 may be one example of an implementation for pathogen detection system 102 in FIG.
  • HPV emitter device 204 may be one example of an implementation for pathogen decontamination system 104 in FIG. 1.
  • a user 205 may interact directly with pathogen detection system 202, HPV emitter device 204, or both.
  • User 205 may be one example of user 114 in FIG. 1.
  • User 205 may be, for example, a hospital administrator, a doctor, a nurse, a homeowner, a scientist, a researcher, a professor, a teacher, a principal, a pilot, a flight attendant, a parent, etc.
  • user 205 may engage with computing device 207 to interact with user interface 209 to facilitate communication with HPV emitter device 204 via network 211.
  • Pathogen detection system 202 may detect pathogens within a space (or environment) in which autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 is deployed for use.
  • HPV emitter device 204 may emit a decontaminant (e.g., hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV)) in response to the detection of one or more pathogens.
  • HPV hydrogen peroxide vapor
  • HPV emitter device 204 may store up to a selected amount of the decontaminant (e.g., HPV) for emission when one or more pathogens are detected.
  • HPV emitter device 204 sends data associated with the volume level of HPV in real time to computing device 207.
  • User 205 may retrieve this data by interacting with user interface 209, by directly engaging with the HPV emitter device 204, or both.
  • user 205 may send a request for the volume level of the HPV and HPV emitter device 204 may send or display this volume level for user 205.
  • computing device 207, user interface 209, or both may be considered part of pathogen management system 200.
  • Computing device 207 is configured to transmit and receive data from HPV emitter device 204 via network 211. It should be appreciated that computing device 207 may correspond to (e g., include) one or more personal computers, laptop computers personal digital assistants, tablet computers, mobile phones, portable media players, digital media receivers, set-top boxes, kiosks, video game consoles, printers, scanners, any other network-enabled electronic devices, or any combination or multiplicity thereof. In other embodiments, computing device 207 is a computing system such as the example system in FIG. 14. Computing device 207 may be one example of an implementation for remote device 110 in FIG. 1.
  • User interface 209 may be incorporated into any type of software application, including, without limitation, desktop applications, mobile applications, and web-based applications to enable the user 205 to interact with and control the applications.
  • user interface 209 may access HPV emitter device 204 via network 211 using a software application, a browser application, a web browser, a webpage, a website, or any combination or multiplicity thereof.
  • user interface 209 may be integrated with or part of a computing device such as, for example, without limitation, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a smartwatch, or some other type of computing device or mobile computing device.
  • Network 211 is one example of an implementation for network 112 in FIG. 1.
  • Network 211 includes one or more wired telecommunications, wireless telecommunications, or any combination or multiplicity thereof by which computing device 207 may exchange data.
  • Network 211 may include, for example, one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an intranet, an Internet, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a cellular or other mobile communication network, a BLUETOOTH® wireless technology connection, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a virtual private network (VPN) a near field communication (NFC) connection, and any combination or multiplicity thereof.
  • LAN local area network
  • WAN wide area network
  • PSTN public switched telephone network
  • MAN metropolitan area network
  • BLUETOOTH® wireless technology connection a wireless local area network (WLAN), a virtual private network (VPN) a near field communication (NFC) connection, and any combination or multiplicity thereof.
  • WLAN local
  • autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 sterilizes an environment efficiently via an autonomous robotic platform. Although autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 is configured for sterilization, autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 may also be used to disinfect.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a perspective view of autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 that includes HPV emitter device 204 from FIG. 2 in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • autonomous/telepresence sterilization system 201 includes a body 304 having a base 302 and a display 306.
  • base 302 may be a mobile and/or roboticized base.
  • base 302 may be capable of moving, either autonomously or semi- autonomously, across a surface (e.g., ground, floor).
  • Base 302 may be capable of moving along a preselected path in some cases.
  • Base 302 may be capable of rotating such that display 306 can be directed in a selected direction within a range of, for example, 5 degrees, 10 degrees, 20 degrees, 90 degrees, or some other number of degrees up to 360 degrees.
  • Display 306 may be used to display the results of pathogen detection by pathogen detection system 202.
  • display 306 may show when a volume of HPV within HPV emitter device 204 is running low or has reached or gone below a predetermined threshold.
  • display 306 may allow a user (e.g., user 205) to interact directly with display 306.
  • display 306 may include a touch-screen interface.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of pathogen management system 200 from FIGS. 2-3 and includes features contemplated for the pathogen detection system 202 and HPV emitter device 204 in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
  • Pathogen management system 200 includes processor 401, power source 403, power switch 405, set of output devices 407 (i.e., one or more output devices), biosensor device 409 (i.e., one or more biosensors), reservoir 411, and emitter 413.
  • Processor 401 is configured to manage all operations of pathogen management system 200. Processor 401 may also be configured to store, retrieve, and send computer files and data to other computing devices (not shown) on network 211. Processor 401 may also be configured to control the storage, organization, and retrieval of data and information associated with job parameters of a room to be disinfected, HPV volume levels, etc., as well as execute various operations and functions associated with decontaminating a desired room. In other embodiments, processor 401 is a computing system such as the example system in FIG. 14.
  • Power source 403 is configured to supply energy to pathogen management system 200.
  • Examples of power source 403 may include, without limitation, a battery, a solar cell, a direct connection to an electrical outlet, other methods, or any combination or multiplicity thereof.
  • Power switch 405 is configured to turn pathogen management system 200 on and off.
  • Output device 407 may include a touch screen, a keyboard, speakers, and the like.
  • output device 407 may include display 306 in FIG. 3.
  • Biosensor device 409 is configured to detect the presence of one or more pathogens. Biosensor device 409 may be capable of measuring the percentage of decontamination or providing data that indicates the percentage of decontamination over time.
  • Reservoir 411 is configured to store a decontaminant 415.
  • Decontaminant 415 may be a decontamination fluid (e.g., liquid and/or vapor) such as, for example, but not limited to, HPV.
  • Decontamination fluid may include any number of liquids and/or vapors that can be used to disinfect or sterilize.
  • Output device 407 may be used to display information about pathogens detected, information about the remaining volume or level of decontaminant 415 in reservoir, and/or other types of information. In some cases, output device 407 may display a visible alert or generate an audible alert when decontamination is initiated. In some cases, output device 407 may display a visible alert or generate an audible alert when decontamination has been completed. In some cases, output device 407 may display a visible alert or generate an audible alert indicating that decontamination is ongoing.
  • Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a pathogen detection system 500 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • Pathogen detection system 500 is one example of an implementation for pathogen detection system 102 in FIG. 1 and pathogen detection system 202 in FIG. 2.
  • Pathogen detection system 500 may be used to detect and identify one or more pathogens within the ambient air of an environment.
  • a pathogen may be, for example, a virus, bacteria, fungus, or some other type of microbial organism that can cause disease.
  • pathogen detection system 500 includes at least one biosensor device 502 and controller 503.
  • Controller 503 may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Controller 503 may be implemented via, for example, without limitation, at least one of a processor, a microprocessor, an integrated chip, a computing device, a cloud computing device, or some other type of system that includes hardware, firmware, software.
  • controller 503 may be used to control the operation of the at least one biosensor device 502 (e.g., control the operation of one or more of the components within the at least one biosensor device 502).
  • controller 503, or at least a portion of controller 503, is integrated as part of or within biosensor device 502.
  • Controller 503 may control the operation of biosensor device 502 and the various components of biosensor device 502 based on a program, one or more rules or requirements, input from a user (e.g., user 114 in FIG. 1 or user 205 in FIG. 2), or a combination thereof.
  • a user e.g., user 114 in FIG. 1 or user 205 in FIG. 2
  • Controller 503 may control the operation of biosensor device 502 and the various components of biosensor device 502 based on a program, one or more rules or requirements, input from a user (e.g., user 114 in FIG. 1 or user 205 in FIG. 2), or a combination thereof.
  • Biosensor device 502 may be used to detect the presence of one or more pathogens based on a sample collected from the ambient air of the environment (e.g., environment 106 in FIG. 1).
  • Biosensor device 502 may include, for example, sample collection system 504, sample processing system 506, and output system 508.
  • Sample collection system 504 can be used to collect sample 510 from the ambient air within an environment (e.g., environment 106 in FIG. 1).
  • Sample 510 may include aerosols.
  • An aerosol may be, for example, a suspension of tiny particles or droplets in the air in which these tiny particles or droplets may include one or more pathogens.
  • sample collection system 504 includes inlet 512, collection device 514, compression device 515, fdter 516, and hydration device 518.
  • Inlet 512 may be the portion of biosensor device 502 through which air 519 flows into biosensor device 502.
  • Collection device 514 may aid in the flow of air 519 into biosensor device 502.
  • Collection device 514 may take various forms.
  • collection device 514 includes one or more fans, one or more air blowers, or one or more other types of air movers that can be operated to cause air 519 from within the environment to be pulled into biosensor device 502 via inlet 512.
  • inlet 512 and collection device 514 may be integrated together as part of or within a same component or structure.
  • collection device 514 may be operated to pull air 519 into inlet 512 at a selected flow rate.
  • the flow rate is selected for the environment. For example, different flow rates may be selected for different types of environments.
  • the flow rate may range from, for example, between about 2000 CFM (cubic feet per minute) to 20,000 CFM.
  • the flow rate may range from, for example, between about 0.5 L/min (liters per minute) to about 100 L/min.
  • the selected flow rate may be configurable and may be controlled by controller 503.
  • Collection device 514 may be operated to pull air 519 into inlet 512 continuously, periodically (e.g., at regular or irregular intervals), according to a schedule, or according to a randomized schedule (e.g., at randomly selected time intervals). In some cases, collection device 514 is operated to pull air 519 into inlet 512 for selected periods of time. For example, such a flow time may be selected to be within a range between about 1 minute to about 30 minutes. In some cases, the flow time may be selected to be within a range between about 5 minutes to 15 minutes. The flow time may be selected based on the environment.
  • a shorter flow time may be selected for a smaller environment (e.g., private bathroom) while a longer flow time may be selected for a larger environment (e.g., hospital operating room).
  • a longer flow time may be selected for a larger environment (e.g., hospital operating room).
  • different flow times may be selected for different environments based on the number of persons expected to be occupying or using the environment.
  • Air 519 may include aerosols.
  • Collection device 514 pulls in air 519 (e.g., including aerosols) from the environment and sends air 519 into or causes air 519 to contact filter 516 to form sample 510.
  • fdter 516 may trap at least a portion of the aerosols (or the particulates that formed the aerosols) from air 519 within fdter 516 to form sample 510.
  • the portion of air 519 that excludes the trapped aerosols (or particulates) may be vented out of biosensor device 502 via an outlet 517 of biosensor device 502.
  • outlet 217 is integrated together as part of or within a same component or structure as collection device 514.
  • Filter 516 may be implemented in various ways.
  • fdter 516 may take the form of a sponge, foam, or sponge-like or foam-like material.
  • Filter 516 may be comprised of a material that allows aerosols to be trapped or otherwise collected on or within fdter 516.
  • fdter 516 may be implemented using a BiSKitTM (Biological Sampling Kit), a fdter obtained from McMaster-Carr Supply Company, or another type of fdter, Once fdter 516 has collected sample 510, fdter 516 may be hydrated (or rehydrated) using hydration device 518. Hydration device 518 introduces liquid 520 (e.g., water, saline, phosphate- buffered saline (PBS), or combination thereof, etc.) into fdter 516.
  • liquid 520 e.g., water, saline, phosphate- buffered saline (PBS), or combination thereof, etc.
  • Hydration device 518 may include any number of elements. Hydration device 518 may include one or more liquid applicators such as, for example, without limitation, misting sprays, syringes, pumps, peristaltic pumps, tubing, etc. In some embodiments, hydration device 518 includes a spray nozzle that sprays liquid 520 onto fdter 516. Liquid 520 may be held in, for example, a reservoir within sample collection system 504.
  • fdter 516 is kept continuously hydrated with liquid 520.
  • fdter 516 may be continuously submersed or otherwise hydrated with liquid 520.
  • hydration device 518 may be controlled to rehydrate or add more of liquid 520 to fdter 516 periodically (e.g., at regular or irregular intervals), according to a schedule, or according to a randomized schedule (e.g., at randomly selected time intervals).
  • hydration device 518 may be configured to add a small portion (e.g., one or more drops) of liquid 520 to filter 516 at regular intervals (e.g., intervals of 1-59 seconds, intervals of 1-10 minutes, etc.).
  • hydration device 518 may be additionally, or instead, configured to cause filter 516 to be submersed in liquid 520 at regular intervals or according to a schedule (e.g., every time that collection device 514 is operated to pull air 519 into inlet 512).
  • movement of filter 516 is implemented via a movement system within sample collection system 504.
  • the movement system may include any number of elements such as, for example, without limitation, at least one of a moveable stage, a fastening members, a motor, a cable, a wire, a guide rod, a spring, a spool, or some other type of element.
  • a moveable stage may be connected to vertical guide rods and may have a spring that supports the stage.
  • the moveable stage may be moved by being connected to an element (e.g., string, cable, platform ) that is attached to a spool on a motor.
  • Operation of the motor may cause movement of the element, which may, in turn, cause movement of the stage, and thereby, filter 516.
  • This type of movement may be used to submerse filter 516 in liquid 520.
  • filter 516 may be moved by moving the stage from one chamber into another chamber in which liquid 520 is being held.
  • the movement system or at least a portion of the movement system may be considered part of hydration device 518.
  • the movement system or at least a portion of the movement system may be considered part of compression device 515, described further below.
  • filter 516 or a portion of filter 516 may be replaceable.
  • filter 516 or a portion of filter 516 may be replaced at regular intervals (e.g., about every 1 weeks, about every week, about every 10 days, about every 3 weeks, etc.), according to a schedule, or after some number of uses.
  • filter 516 or a portion of filter 516 may be replaced after a certain number of cycles of sample collection and hydration (e.g., about 5 cycles, about 10 cycles, about 50 cycles, about 100 cycles, about 500 cycles, etc.).
  • filter 516 is implemented such that filter 516 has multiple areas for sample collection. Each area or portion of filter 516 may be a single-use area. In other words, once an area or portion of filter 516 is used for sample collection, that area or portion of filter 516 is not reused. Once all areas or portions of filter 516 are used in this manner, filter 516 may be replaced. [0066] Compression device 515 may be used to compress filter 516 and release liquid sample 524 that contains the particulates of the aerosols that were trapped in filter 516. Compression device 515 may be implemented in different ways.
  • compression device 515 includes one or more rollers, a pair of squeezing plates, some other type of element for use in compression, or a combination thereof.
  • Compression device 515 applies pressure or force to filter 516 to cause the liquid being held by filter 516 to be released along with at least some of the trapped aerosols in the liquid to form liquid sample 524.
  • Compression device 515 may be controlled by, for example, controller 503.
  • Compression device 515 may be controlled to compress filter 516 for a selected amount of time (e.g., between about 2 seconds and 10 seconds). The excess liquid resulting from compression of filter 516 that does not become a part of liquid sample 524 may be reused (e.g., recycled for future use in hydrating filter 516).
  • Sample processing system 506 includes pathogen capture device 528 and detector 530.
  • Pathogen capture device 528 is used to capture pathogens that may be present in liquid sample 524.
  • Pathogen capture device 528 may include, for example, without limitation, different cartridges that are used for capturing different microbial organisms.
  • pathogen capture device 528 may include a cartridge for capturing bacteria (or a specific type(s) of bacteria);
  • pathogen capture device 528 may include a cartridge for capturing viruses (or a specific type(s) of virus); and
  • pathogen capture device 528 may include a cartridge for capturing fungi (or a specific type(s) of fungi).
  • one or more of the cartridges in pathogen capture device 528 may be replaceable.
  • a cartridge e.g., virus or bacteria cartridge
  • Detector 530 is used to detect and, in some cases, identify, the one or more different types of pathogens captured by pathogen capture device 528.
  • detector 530 may be used to detect the presence of one or more bacteria (e.g., methicillin-resistant s. aureus, chlamydia trachomatis, helicobacter pylori, mycobacterium tuberculosis, anti-microbial growth promoter resistant bacteria, water and food sanitation-linked bacteria, influenza by bacterial pneumonia, etc.).
  • bacteria e.g., methicillin-resistant s. aureus, chlamydia trachomatis, helicobacter pylori, mycobacterium tuberculosis, anti-microbial growth promoter resistant bacteria, water and food sanitation-linked bacteria, influenza by bacterial pneumonia, etc.
  • Detector 530 may be additionally, or instead, used to detect the presence of one or more viruses (e.g., a coronavirus (COVID), viral SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa virus, Zika virus, etc.). Detector 530 may generate an output that either identifies the one or more pathogens detected or that can be used to identify the one or more pathogens detected.
  • viruses e.g., a coronavirus (COVID), viral SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa virus, Zika virus, etc.
  • Output system 508 may be separate from or part of (e.g., integrated with) sample processing system 506.
  • output system 508 may be part of detector 530.
  • Output system 508 may take the output generated by detector 530 and further process this output.
  • Output system 508 may transform the output, use the output to make some other determination (e.g., use the output of detector 530 to identify one or more detected pathogens), generate a display output that can be displayed to a user, generate a report that can be sent to a remote device, or a combination thereof. .
  • Output system 508 may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Output system 508 may be implemented using one or more transducers, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, or a combination thereof.
  • output system 508 may send information (e.g., binary code(s) for detected pathogen(s)) and/or a report) to cloud-based computing system 532.
  • cloud-based computing system 532 may map the binary code for a pathogen to an identifier (e.g., UUID).
  • Cloud-based computing system 532 may then send an output (e.g., a report, an alert, a notification, etc.) to remote device 534.
  • the remote device 534 may be, for example, a laptop, a mobile phone, a tablet, or some other type of remote device.
  • cloud-based computing system 532 may generate a command that is sent to output system 508 (or remote device 534) to generate an alert.
  • output system 508 (or remote device 534) may include one or more components that allow output system 508 to generate an alert in the form of a visual alert, an audible alert, or both.
  • FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the sample processing system 506 of FIG. 6 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • sample processing system 506 includes pathogen capture device 528 and detector 530 .
  • Pathogen capture device 528 may include one or more pathogen capture elements.
  • pathogen capture device 528 may include a bacteria capture element 602, a virus capture element 604, or both.
  • bacteria capture element 602 and virus capture element 604 may be implemented in the form of a bacteria cartridge 606 and a virus cartridge 608, respectively.
  • Each of these cartridges may be configured to capture (e g., bind to) one or more different types of pathogens (e g., one or more different types of bacteria or one or more different types of viruses).
  • a cartridge e.g., bacteria cartridge 606, virus cartridge 608 may include a membrane that has been conjugated with or imprinted with antibodies, protein sequences, or both.
  • the membrane may be, for example, a nitrocellulose membrane.
  • the cartridge may include a membrane having protein sequencing capabilities.
  • the membrane may include a substrate with gold nanoparticles on the substrate.
  • Various proteins e.g., capture antibodies that are known and/or expected to bind to selected pathogens
  • analytes e.g., antigens
  • a pathogen capture element e.g., bacteria capture element 602, virus capture element 604 may have at least one carbon dot element 610, at least one quantum dot element 612, or both.
  • virus cartridge 608 may have a membrane with antibody protein sequences for viral antibodies imprinted on the membrane.
  • Bacteria cartridge 606 may have a membrane with antibody protein sequences for bacterial antibodies imprinted on the membrane.
  • a cartridge may take the form of a nitrocellulose material paper (e.g., formed into a camera reel) that has proteins or antibodies of various pathogens conjugated on the paper using at least one carbon dot element 610.
  • a cartridge can also include quantum dots with antibodies of pathogens conjugated on quantum dots.
  • Detector 530 may be used to detect and, in some cases, identify, the presence of one or more different types of pathogens captured via pathogen capture device 528.
  • detector 530 may be used to detect one or more bacteria (e.g., methicillin-resistant s. aureus, chlamydia trachomatis, helicobacter pylori, mycobacterium tuberculosis, anti-microbial growth promoter resistant bacteria, water and food sanitation-linked bacteria, influenza by bacterial pneumonia, etc.).
  • bacteria e.g., methicillin-resistant s. aureus, chlamydia trachomatis, helicobacter pylori, mycobacterium tuberculosis, anti-microbial growth promoter resistant bacteria, water and food sanitation-linked bacteria, influenza by bacterial pneumonia, etc.
  • Detector 530 may be used to detect one or more viruses (e.g., a coronavirus (COVID), viral SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa virus, Zika virus, etc.).
  • viruses e.g., a coronavirus (COVID), viral SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa virus, Zika virus, etc.
  • detector 530 includes a light application device 614, imaging device 616, and image processor 618.
  • Light application device 614 may include, for example, one or more components for causing a light-based or color reaction that can be captured by imaging device 616, where the light-based or color reaction provides an indication of whether pathogens have been detected and, in some cases, what types of pathogens have been detected.
  • light application device 614 may introduce fluorescence-inducing molecules that will bind to the analytes (e.g., antigens) captured by the cartridge(s) of pathogen capture device 528.
  • light application device 614 may introduce detection (or primary) antibodies that can bind to the analytes (e.g., antigens) that have been immobilized via binding to protein sequences imprinted on the membrane of the cartridge.
  • Light application device 614 may further introduce labeled (e.g., biotin-labeled) antibodies that can bind to these detection antibodies.
  • Another protein or protein compound e.g., Streptavidin-HRPO
  • Streptavidin-HRPO may bind to the biotin and catalyze an enzymatic reaction that fluoresces (e.g., an enzymatic color reaction). In this manner, light application device 614 may cause fluorescence that can be captured by imaging device 616.
  • Imaging device 616 may be used to capture the fluorescence induced by light application device 614.
  • Imaging device 616 may include, for example, without limitation, one or more cameras (e.g., one or more smart cameras). Imaging device 616 captures the different colors emitted from pathogen capture device 528. The colors captured in the images indicate whether there have been any positive detections of pathogens.
  • These images may be processed by image processor 618.
  • image processor 618 is separate from imaging device 616. In other embodiments, image processor 618 is integrated as part of or within imaging device 616.
  • Image processor 618 may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Image processor 618 is used to process images captured by imaging device 616. In some cases, image processor 618 sends the images to output system 508 described in FIG. 5 for further processing.
  • Output system 508 in FIG. 5 may process the images generated by imaging device 616 and may convert each color (e.g., in some cases, each color out of a group of preselected colors) that is detected by detector 530 into a binary code.
  • this binary code may be output a separate computing system (e.g., computer system, processor, laptop, cloud computing device, server, cloud, etc.) for further processing.
  • An algorithm may be used to map the binary code to an identifier for a microbe using information stored in a data store (e.g., database).
  • the database may be cloud-based.
  • the identifier may be, for example, the Universal Unique Identifier (UUID). In some cases, this identifier may then be mapped to a pathogen.
  • UUID Universal Unique Identifier
  • output system 508 in FIG. 5 may include one or more components for processing the binary code to identify the identifier (e g., UUID) for the corresponding microbe detected.
  • Output system 508 may include a database or a component for connecting to an external database to map the binary code to the identifier.
  • detector 530 and/or output system 508 in FIG. 5 may also be able to identify the range of colors detected.
  • detector 530 and/or output system 508 may be able to identify that a particular range of colors was detected even though only a single one of those colors can be converted into a binary code.
  • the range of colors may be used to determine the overall range of different types of pathogens detected (which may include pathogens in addition to those that are particularly identified via a binary code).
  • pathogen detection system 500 may include one or more additional components for managing the temperature associated with pathogen capture device 528.
  • sample processing system 506 may include temperature control device 620.
  • Temperature control device 620 may include, for example, a thermometer (e.g., a mercury-based test strip) that can be used to monitor and/or control the temperature associated with pathogen capture device 528. Controlling the temperature within a selected range may help with reducing false positive detections of pathogens.
  • a thermometer e.g., a mercury-based test strip
  • FIG. 7 is an illustration of a perspective (e g., front perspective) view of a biosensor device in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • Biosensor device 700 is one example of an implementation for biosensor device 502 in FIG. 5.
  • Biosensor device 700 includes sample collection system 702, which is one example of an implementations for sample collection system 504 in FIG. 5.
  • Biosensor device 700 further includes sample processing system 704, which is one example of an implementation for sample processing system 506 in FIGS. 5 and 6.
  • Sample collection system 702 includes inlet 705, collection device 706, fdter 708, compression device 710, and hydration device 712.
  • Inlet 705, collection device 706, fdter 708, compression device 710, and hydration device 712 may be examples of implementations for inlet 512, collection device 514, fdter 516, compression device 515, and hydration device 518, respectively, in FIG. 5.
  • Collection device 706 includes a fan and a housing 709, which pulls air into inlet 705.
  • the fan of collection device 706 pulls the air inwards and through housing 709 and into contact with a portion of fdter 708.
  • Filter 708 may be implemented using, for example, a roll of fdter material that is moved to pass fdter 708 under collection device 706.
  • Filter 708 may be continuously moved or may be moved until a selected portion of fdter is under (e.g., overlapped by) collection device 706 and then stopped for a period of time (e.g., a time period selected between about 3 seconds to about 20minutes).
  • a sample of aerosols is collected on fdter 708 from the air pulled in by the fan of collection device 706. The portion of fdter 708 with the collected sample is then moved past collection device 706.
  • Movement system 714 is used to move fdter 708.
  • Movement system 714 may include, for example, without limitation, a motor that drives a reel of fdter 708 to move fdter 708.
  • movement system 714 may further include any number of other movement elements, motors, guide rods, springs, spools, or combination thereof.
  • Hydration device 712 keeps fdter 708 (or at least the portion of fdter 708 that is under (or overlapped by) collection device 706, hydrated or rehydrated using liquid (e.g., saline, PBS) that is stored in reservoir 716.
  • liquid e.g., saline, PBS
  • This liquid which may also be referred to as a buffer, helps keep the sample aerosols (or particulates) trapped in fdter 708.
  • Hydration device 712 may include, for example, a peristaltic pump that applies liquid from reservoir 716 to fdter 708 via, for example, without limitation, a spray nozzle.
  • Compression device 710 is used to compress fdter 708 (e.g., the portion of fdter 708) with the sample to create a liquid sample that can be then applied to sample processing system 704 for processing.
  • Hydration device 712 may include an element that can be used to collect any excess liquid squeezed out of fdter 708 that does not get sent to sample processing system 704. This excess liquid may be recycled. For example, the excess liquid may be returned to reservoir 716 and used again for keeping other portions of fdter 708 hydrated.
  • Sample processing system 704 includes pathogen capture device 720.
  • Pathogen capture device 720 may include at least one cartridge 722.
  • Cartridge 722 may be one example of an implementation of a pathogen capture element of pathogen capture device 528 in FIG. 6.
  • cartridge 722 may be one example of bacteria cartridge 606 or virus cartridge 608 in FIG. 6.
  • Cartridge 722 may be moved by movement system 714 in a manner similar to the movement of fdter 708. Compression of fdter 708 by compression device 710 causes a liquid sample to be deposited onto cartridge 722 (or the portion of cartridge 722) passing substantially under fdter 708.
  • compression device 710 may include rollers that are angled to enable liquid squeezed out of fdter 708 to be directed towards and onto cartridge 722.
  • Cartridge 722 is configured to capture (e.g., bind to) one or more different types of pathogens (e.g., one or more different types of bacteria or one or more different types of viruses).
  • Cartridge 722 may include a membrane that has been conjugated with antibodies, protein sequences, or both. The membrane may be, for example, a nitrocellulose membrane.
  • cartridge 722 may include a membrane having protein sequencing capabilities.
  • the membrane may include a substrate with gold nanoparticles on the substrate.
  • Various proteins e.g., capture antibodies that are known and/or expected to bind to selected pathogens
  • analytes e.g., antigens
  • Sample processing system 704 further includes detector 724.
  • Detector 724 is one example of an implementation for detector 530 described with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6. Detector 724 may be used to detect and, in some cases, identify, the presence of one or more different types of pathogens captured via pathogen capture device 720.
  • detector 724 may be used to detect one or more bacteria (e.g., methicillin-resistant s. aureus, chlamydia trachomatis, helicobacter pylori, mycobacterium tuberculosis, anti-microbial growth promoter resistant bacteria, water and food sanitation-linked bacteria, influenza by bacterial pneumonia, etc.).
  • bacteria e.g., methicillin-resistant s. aureus, chlamydia trachomatis, helicobacter pylori, mycobacterium tuberculosis, anti-microbial growth promoter resistant bacteria, water and food sanitation-linked bacteria, influenza by bacterial pneumonia, etc.
  • Detector 724 may be used to detect one or more viruses (e.g., a coronavirus (COVID), viral SARS- CoV-2, MERS-CoV, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa virus, Zika virus, etc ).
  • COVID coronavirus
  • MERS-CoV Hermanent-Revable Virus
  • Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus Ebola, Marburg, Lassa virus, Zika virus, etc
  • detector 724 includes a light application that can cause a light-based or color reaction that can be captured by imaging device 616, where the light-based or color reaction provides an indication of whether pathogens have been detected and, in some cases, what types of pathogens have been detected.
  • the light application device may introduce fluorescence-inducing molecules that will bind to the analytes (e.g., antigens) captured by cartridge 722 of pathogen capture device 720.
  • the light application device may introduce detection (or primary) antibodies that can bind to the analytes (e.g., antigens) that have been immobilized via binding to protein sequences imprinted on the membrane of cartridge 722.
  • the light application device may further introduce labeled (e.g., biotin-labeled) antibodies that can bind to these detection antibodies.
  • Another protein or protein compound may bind to the biotin and catalyze an enzymatic reaction that fluoresces (e.g., an enzymatic color reaction).
  • the light application device may cause fluorescence that can be captured by an imaging device.
  • Detector 724 further includes an imaging device used to capture the induced fluorescence.
  • the imaging device may include, for example, without limitation, one or more cameras (e.g., one or more smart cameras).
  • the imaging device captures the different colors emitted from cartridge 722 (e.g., one or more carbon dots/quantum dots on cartridge 722).
  • the colors captured in the images indicate whether there have been any positive detections of pathogens. In some cases, the colors indicate the types of pathogens that have been captured.
  • These images may be processed and sent as output for further processing by an output system (e.g., output system 508 in FIG. 5. In other embodiments, the images may be directly sent to a remote device over a wireless network (e g., cloud computing device 532 in FIG.
  • FIG. 8 is an illustration of another perspective (e.g., back perspective) view of biosensor device 700 from FIG. 7 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • Biosensor device 700 further includes device 800.
  • Device 800 may be used to control the operations of one or more of the components of biosensor device 700.
  • device 800 may be used to enter user input that can be used to control the operations of one or more of the components of biosensor device 700, set parameter values for the one or more of the components of biosensor device 700, or both.
  • Device 800 may be, for example, a touch-sensitive display device (e.g., a touch screen).
  • device 800 includes a display device for displaying the images produced by detector 724, displaying information determined based on the images produced by detector 724, or both.
  • FTG. 9 is an illustration of side view (e g., front view) of biosensor device 700 from FIGs. 7-8 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 10 is an illustration of top view of biosensor device 700 from FIGS. 7-9 in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method detecting pathogens within an environment and decontaminating the environment in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • Method 1100 may be used to decontaminate an environment that may include any number of spaces or areas.
  • the environment may take the form of, or include, a room, a hospital room, a hospital waiting room, a hospital operating room, a hospital hallway, the interior of an aircraft, a bedroom, a house, an apartment, a classroom in a school, a warehouse, a hallway, a bathroom, a publicly used area, a cafeteria, or some other type of area or combination of areas.
  • Method 1100 may be implemented using, for example, pathogen management system 100 in FIG. 1, pathogen management system 200 in FIG. 2, and/or pathogen detection system 500 in FIGS. 5- 6 .
  • Step 1102 includes capturing a sample of aerosols from air within the environment on a fdter to form a sample.
  • the fdter is hydrated with a liquid.
  • the fdter may be, for example, fdter 516 described above in FIG. 5. Hydrating the fdter helps keep the particulates of the aerosols trapped on (or in) the fder.
  • Step 1102 may include, for example, pulling the air into a housing via a collection device such that the aerosols in the air are pulled into contact with the fdter to form the sample.
  • the fdter may be hydrated with, for example, saline to keep the particulates trapped.
  • Step 1104 includes creating a liquid sample on a cartridge using the sample. The cartridge may be used to bind pathogens contained in the liquid sample.
  • Step 1106 includes detecting a presence of a set of pathogens using the cartridge.
  • the set of pathogens may be reacted with molecules to induce fluorescence that can be captured via an imaging device.
  • the colors captures may indicate the types of pathogens detected, in some cases.
  • Step 1108 includes decontaminating the environment based on the detection.
  • a decontaminant may be used to decontaminate.
  • the decontaminant may include, for example, at least one of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), or vinegar.
  • HPV hydrogen peroxide vapor
  • PAA peroxyacetic acid
  • vinegar vinegar
  • the environment may take the form of, or include, a room, a hospital room, a hospital waiting room, a hospital operating room, a hospital hallway, the interior of an aircraft, a bedroom, a house, an apartment, a classroom in a school, a warehouse, a hallway, a bathroom, a publicly used area, a cafeteria, or some other type of area or combination of areas.
  • Method 1200 may be implemented using, for example, pathogen management system 100 in FIG. 1, pathogen management system 200 in FIG. 2, and/or pathogen detection system 500 in FIGS. 5-6.
  • Step 1202 includes capturing aerosols in air within an environment on a fdter to form a sample, wherein the fdter is hydrated with a liquid.
  • the fdter may be, for example, fdter 516 described above in FIG. 5. Hydrating the fdter helps keep the particulates of the aerosols trapped on (or in) the fder.
  • Step 1102 may include, for example, pulling the air into a housing via a collection device such that the aerosols in the air are pulled into contact with the fdter to form the sample.
  • the fdter may be hydrated with, for example, saline to keep the particulates trapped.
  • Step 1204 includes compressing the fdter to form a liquid sample that includes a set of pathogens from the aerosols. This compressing may include squeezing a portion of the fdter such that the liquid that is hydrating the fdter is squeezed out of the fdter to form the liquid sample in which the liquid sample includes the set of pathogens.
  • Step 1206 includes capturing the set of pathogens in the liquid sample on a cartridge.
  • the capturing may include, for example, binding the set of pathogens to the cartridge via at least one of a set of protein sequences or a set of antibodies conjugated on or imprinted on a membrane of the cartridge.
  • the pathogens are bound using carbon dots.
  • Step 1208 includes generating a set of images of the cartridge to detect a presence of the set of pathogens on the cartridge.
  • step 1208 may include inducing a reaction that causes fluorescence associated with the set of pathogens on the cartridge. This fluorescence may be captured in the images. The type of colors detected may indicate detection and/or may identify the types of pathogens.
  • Step 1210 includes identifying the set of pathogens using the set of images. For example, identifying the set of pathogens may includes using a processor, such as processor 618 in FIG. 6, to detect colors. These colors may identify the types of pathogens.
  • the images may be sent to a remote device, such as remote device 1 10 in FIG. 1 or remote device 534 in FIG. 5.
  • the remote device may use bar codes or other identifiers associated with colors identified in the image to thereby identify the set of pathogens. In this manner, a particular color or identifier associated with a color may be directly associated with a particular type of pathogen.
  • Step 1212 includes decontaminating the environment using a decontaminant based on the identification of the set of pathogens.
  • the decontaminant may include at least one of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), or vinegar.
  • Step 1212 may be implemented using the decontamination system 104 of pathogen management system 100, or HPV emitter device 204 of pathogen management system 200 in FIG. 2.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for decontaminating an environment in accordance with one or more embodiments.
  • Method 1300 may be used to decontaminate an environment that may include any number of spaces or areas.
  • the environment may take the form of, or include, a room, a hospital room, a hospital waiting room, a hospital operating room, a hospital hallway, the interior of an aircraft, a bedroom, a house, an apartment, a classroom in a school, a warehouse, a hallway, a bathroom, a publicly used area, a cafeteria, or some other type of area or combination of areas.
  • Method 1300 may be implemented using, for example, pathogen management system 100 in FIG. 1, pathogen management system 200 in FIG. 2, and/or pathogen detection system 500 in FIGS. 5-6 .
  • Method 1300 may be associated with the autonomous/telepresence robotic sterilization system 1302.
  • the system receives job parameters from the user. These parameters may include name, size, and/or location of the room being disinfected and the disinfection level desired. These parameters may be based on the detection of pathogens in the room.
  • the system analyzes the job parameters and sends information to the user.
  • the information may include the amount of HPV required and the time required to decontaminate based on the job parameters selected by the user.
  • the information may be sent to the user via a computing device (e.g., processor 401 in FIG. 4) and/or output device (e.g., output device 407 in FIG. 4).
  • the system commences HPV emission from the HPV emitter device.
  • the system ceases HPV emission. The cessation may be based on user input and/or completion of the job.
  • the system sends a decontamination report to the user
  • the decontamination report may include information from the biosensor.
  • FIG. 14 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system, in accordance with various embodiments.
  • Computer system 1400 may be one example of an implementation for a computer system or processor within pathogen management system 100 described with respect to FIG. 1, pathogen management system 200 described with respect to FIGS. 2-4, or pathogen detection system 500 described with respect to FIGS. 5-6.
  • computer system 1400 can include a bus 1402 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 1404 coupled with bus 1402 for processing information.
  • computer system 1400 can also include a memory, which can be a random access memory (RAM) 1406 or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 1402 for determining instructions to be executed by processor 1404.
  • RAM random access memory
  • Memory also can be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 1404.
  • computer system 1400 can further include a read only memory (ROM) 1408 or other static storage device coupled to bus 1402 for storing static information and instructions for processor 1404.
  • ROM read only memory
  • a storage device 1410 such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, can be provided and coupled to bus 1402 for storing information and instructions.
  • computer system 1400 can be coupled via bus 1402 to a display 1412, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information to a computer user.
  • a display 1412 such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD)
  • An input device 1414 can be coupled to bus 1402 for communicating information and command selections to processor 1404.
  • a cursor control 1416 such as a mouse, a trackball or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 1404 and for controlling cursor movement on display 1412.
  • This input device 1414 typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (i.e., x) and a second axis (i.e., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane.
  • a first axis i.e., x
  • a second axis i.e., y
  • results can be provided by computer system 1400 in response to processor 1404 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in memory 1406. Such instructions can be read into memory 1406 from another computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium, such as storage device 1410.
  • processor 1404 can cause processor 1404 to perform the processes described herein.
  • hard-wired circuitry can be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the present teachings.
  • implementations of the present teachings are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.
  • computer-readable medium e.g., data store, data storage, etc.
  • computer-readable storage medium refers to any media that participates in providing instructions to processor 1404 for execution.
  • Such a medium can take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.
  • non-volatile media can include, but are not limited to, optical, solid state, magnetic disks, such as storage device 1410.
  • volatile media can include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory, such as memory 1406.
  • transmission media can include, but are not limited to, coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 1402.
  • Computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other tangible medium from which a computer can read.
  • instructions or data can be provided as signals on transmission media included in a communications apparatus or system to provide sequences of one or more instructions to processor 1404 of computer system 1400 for execution.
  • a communication apparatus may include a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions and data.
  • the instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the disclosure herein.
  • Representative examples of data communications transmission connections can include, but are not limited to, telephone modem connections, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), infrared data connections, NFC connections, etc.
  • instructions or data can be provided as signals on transmission media included in a communications apparatus or system to provide sequences of one or more instructions to processor 1404 of computer system 1400 for execution.
  • a communication apparatus may include a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions and data.
  • the instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the disclosure herein.
  • Representative examples of data communications transmission connections can include, but are not limited to, telephone modem connections, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), infrared data connections, NFC connections, etc.
  • the methodologies described herein may be implemented by various means depending upon the application. For example, these methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.
  • the processing unit may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.
  • ASICs application specific integrated circuits
  • DSPs digital signal processors
  • DSPDs digital signal processing devices
  • PLDs programmable logic devices
  • FPGAs field programmable gate arrays
  • processors controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.
  • the methods of the present teachings may be implemented as firmware and/or a software program and applications written in conventional programming languages such as C, C++, Python, etc. If implemented as firmware and/or software, the embodiments described herein can be implemented on a non-transitory computer-readable medium in which a program is stored for causing a computer to perform the methods described above. It should be understood that the various engines described herein can be provided on a computer system, such as computer system 1400, whereby processor 1404 would execute the analyses and determinations provided by these engines, subject to instructions provided by any one of, or a combination of, memory components 1406/1408/1410 and user input provided via input device 1414. VII. Recitation of Exemplary Embodiments
  • Embodiment 1 A method for detection of pathogens, the method comprising: capturing aerosols in air within an environment on a filter to form a sample, wherein the filter is hydrated with a liquid; compressing the filter to form a liquid sample that includes a set of pathogens from the aerosols; capturing the set of pathogens in the liquid sample on a cartridge; and generating a set of images of the cartridge to detect a presence of the set of pathogens on the cartridge.
  • Embodiment 2 The method of embodiment 1, wherein capturing the aerosols comprises: pulling the air into a housing via a collection device such that the aerosols in the air are pulled into contact with the filter to form the sample.
  • Embodiment 3 The method of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, further comprising: hydrating the filter with a liquid to keep the set of pathogens in the aerosols trapped on the filter.
  • Embodiment 4 The method of any one of embodiments 1-3, wherein compressing the filter comprises: squeezing a portion of the filter such that the liquid that is hydrating the filter is squeezed out of the filter to form the liquid sample in which the liquid sample includes the set of pathogens.
  • Embodiment 5 The method of any one of embodiments 1-4, wherein capturing the liquid sample on the cartridge comprises: binding the set of pathogens to the cartridge via at least one of a set of protein sequences or a set of antibodies conjugated on a membrane of the cartridge.
  • Embodiment 6 The method of any one of embodiments 1-5, wherein capturing the liquid sample on the cartridge comprises: binding the set of pathogens to the cartridge via at least one of a set of protein sequences or a set of antibodies imprinted on a membrane of the cartridge.
  • Embodiment 7 The method of any one of embodiments 1-6, wherein capturing the liquid sample on the cartridge comprises: binding a pathogen in the liquid sample to a carbon dot.
  • Embodiment 8 The method of any one of embodiments 1-7, further comprising: inducing a reaction that causes fluorescence associated with the set of pathogens on the cartridge.
  • Embodiment 9 The method of embodiment 8, wherein generating the set of images comprises: generating the set of images of the cartridge such that the set of images captures the fluorescence associated with the set of pathogens, wherein the fluorescence indicates the presence of the set of pathogens.
  • Embodiment 10 The method of embodiment 8, wherein generating the set of images comprises: generating the set of images of the cartridge such that the set of images captures the fluorescence, wherein a type of pathogen of the set of pathogens is indicated by a color in the set of images.
  • Embodiment 11 The method of any one of embodiments 1-10, further comprising: identifying the set of pathogens using the set of images.
  • Embodiment 12 A method for decontaminating an environment, the method comprising: capturing a sample of aerosols from air within the environment on a filter to form a sample, wherein the filter is hydrated with a liquid; creating a liquid sample on a cartridge using the sample; detecting a presence of a set of pathogens using the cartridge; and decontaminating the environment based on the detection.
  • Embodiment 13 The method of embodiment 12, wherein the decontaminating comprises: decontaminating the environment using a decontaminant based on the detection, wherein the decontaminant comprises at least one of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), or vinegar.
  • HPV hydrogen peroxide vapor
  • PAA peroxyacetic acid
  • Embodiment 14 The method of embodiment 12 or embodiment 13, wherein the detecting comprises: detecting a fluorescence emitted by at least one carbon dot on the cartridge, wherein the fluorescence indicates a presence of a set of pathogens.
  • Embodiment 15 A pathogen management system comprising: a biosensor device comprising: a sample collection system for forming a liquid sample that includes particulates from air within an environment; a sample processing system for detecting a presence of a set of pathogens in the liquid sample; a decontamination system comprising: a reservoir holding a decontaminant; and an emitter for emitting the decontaminant from the decontamination system to decontaminate an environment.
  • a biosensor device comprising: a sample collection system for forming a liquid sample that includes particulates from air within an environment; a sample processing system for detecting a presence of a set of pathogens in the liquid sample; a decontamination system comprising: a reservoir holding a decontaminant; and an emitter for emitting the decontaminant from the decontamination system to decontaminate an environment.
  • Embodiment 16 The pathogen management system of embodiment 15, wherein the sample collection system includes a fdter for trapping the particulates from the air.
  • Embodiment 17 The pathogen management system of embodiment 16, wherein the fdter is hydrated with saline.
  • Embodiment 18 The method of any one of embodiments 15-17, wherein the decontaminant comprises at least one of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), peroxyacetic acid (PAA), or vinegar.
  • Embodiment 19 The pathogen management system of any one of embodiments 15-18, wherein the sample processing system includes a cartridge comprising a membrane imprinted with protein sequences.
  • Embodiment 20 The pathogen management system of any one of embodiments 15-19, wherein the sample processing system includes a cartridge comprising a membrane imprinted with antibodies.
  • one element e.g., a material, a layer, a substrate, etc.
  • one element can be “on,” “attached to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element regardless of whether the one element is directly on, attached to, connected to, or coupled to the other element or there are one or more intervening elements between the one element and the other element.
  • one element e.g., a component, a material, a layer, a substrate, etc.
  • one element can be “on,” “attached to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element regardless of whether the one element is directly on, attached to, connected to, or coupled to the other element or there are one or more intervening elements between the one element and the other element.
  • elements e.g., elements a, b, c
  • such reference is intended to include any one of the listed elements by itself, any combination ofless than all of the listed elements, and/or a combination of all of the listed elements. Section divisions in the specification are for ease of review only and do not limit any combination of elements discussed.
  • substantially means sufficient to work for the intended purpose.
  • the term “substantially” thus allows for minor, insignificant variations from an absolute or perfect state, dimension, measurement, result, or the like such as would be expected by a person of ordinary skill in the field but that do not appreciably affect overall performance.
  • substantially means within ten percent.
  • the term “plurality” may be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more.
  • the term “set of” means one or more.
  • a set of items includes one or more items.
  • the phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used and only one of the items in the list may be needed.
  • the item may be a particular object, thing, step, operation, process, or category.
  • “at least one of” means any combination of items or number of items may be used from the list, but not all of the items in the list may be required.
  • “at least one of item A, item B, or item C” means item A; item A and item B; item B; item A, item B, and item C; item Band item C; or item A and C.
  • “at least one of item A, item B, or item C” means, but is not limited to, two of item A, one of item B, and ten of item C; four of item B and seven of item C; or some other suitable combination.
  • Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a system including one or more data processors.
  • the system includes a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform part or all of one or more methods and/or part or all of one or more processes disclosed herein.
  • Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to perform part or all of one or more methods and/or part or all of one or more processes disclosed herein.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé et un système de décontamination d'un environnement. Un échantillon d'aérosols est capturé à partir de l'air à l'intérieur de l'environnement sur un filtre pour former un échantillon, le filtre étant hydraté avec un liquide. Un échantillon liquide est créé sur une cartouche à l'aide de l'échantillon. La présence d'un ensemble d'agents pathogènes est détecté à l'aide de la cartouche. L'environnement est décontaminé sur la base de la détection.
PCT/US2023/020455 2022-04-28 2023-04-28 Système de détection d'agents pathogènes et de décontamination WO2023212351A1 (fr)

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US17/732,068 2022-04-28
US202263430662P 2022-12-06 2022-12-06
US63/430,662 2022-12-06

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