A newly developed biological self-test kit developed by the Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) www.ecbc.army.mil for TATRC www.tatrc.org is able to quickly determine evidence of a biological agent on the battlefield but the kit also has civilian applications. The device known as “SmartCAR” uses a colorimetric assay much like a home pregnancy test kit to identify the presence of a pathogen such as ricin, anthrax, or plague.
A sample can be taken and placed in a small vial containing a reagent that will bind the pathogen of concern then place a drop of the solution on the strip. The strip is placed inside the handheld SmartCAR which then reads whether there is one line on the strip meaning no exposure or two lines which indicates a problem or concern.
The SmartCAR than transmits the results over the Nett Warrior system, which is a fielded integrated dismounted situational awareness system displaying tactical data on a smartphone. Information then passes through Nett Warrior and up the chain of command. If the test is positive, the medic will immediately begin treatment and then send the information automatically to the medical record.
“Although most of the SmartCAR technology is commercial off-the-shelf, it is a handheld field-ready device that can not only determine exposure, but also can provide its own data management and distribution,” said Dr. Patricia Buckley, ECBC Research Scientist.
SmartCAR is able to capture data from environmental sampling for field reconnaissance. A chemical biological team can take swab samples of suspicious surfaces and analyze them. By adding a device known as an “impinge”, which is an instrument able to collect samples of suspended particles by forcing them into a liquid stream, the researchers are able to analyze air samples.
An important application in the civilian sector is the ability for SmartCAR to test drinking wells for water quality. A test strip that could identify the presence of Ebola could be used by medical personnel to control an outbreak. Its data management and distribution capabilities could enable relief personnel to establish restricted areas and determine resource needs.
Dr. Buckley hopes to ultimately combine the biological sensor capabilities of SmartCAR with another advanced ECBC technology called the VOCkit which is a handheld field-ready chemical agent detector which also uses colorimetric assay technology.
However the VOCkit does not analyze the data itself but it automatically sends the data to a software system that uses an algorithm to compare the unknown compound to a library of known compounds.