On-chip-based biosensors and point-of-care devices for label/PCR-free detection of Cryptosporidium
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Engineering, School of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Luka, George
issued: 2021-02-24T18:10:59Z
issued: 2021
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Cryptosporidium, a critical waterborne protozoan pathogen found in water resources, is one of the main causes of serious illnesses and death worldwide, costing millions of dollars annually for its detection, identification and treatments. Early diagnostic techniques for detecting Cryptosporidium were established based on the existing tools such as microscopes immunoassays, and molecular techniques in specialized laboratories. However, these techniques are associated with certain limitations such as long processing times and the requirement for expensive equipments, labelling and costly reagents. The need for on-site and real-time detection in water resources and remote areas revealed the urgent need to improve the existing techniques and develop low-cost, sensitive, selective, portable, PCR/label-free and rapid detection tools for Cryptosporidium. This led to the involvement of on-chip, biosensing and nanotechnology to develop sophisticated tools to detect Cryptosporidium. In essence, on-chip, biosensing, nanotechnology, image processing, three-dimensional (3D) printing and portable diagnostic devices have now revolutionized various research fields and proved to have a great potential for point-of-care (POC) applications. However, minimal studies have been performed to incorporate these technologies in the detection of Cryptosporidium. A simple, label/PCR-free, cost-effective and portable sensing platform for detecting Cryptosporidium is yet available. In this thesis, the state-of-art on-chip-based biosensing platforms (capacitive, electrochemical and colorimetric) and POC devices are developed for sensitive, selective, rapid, portable and label/PCR-free detection of Cryptosporidium. For the capacitive and electrochemical sensors, different sensor structures are designed, fabricated, modified and tested for their selectivity, cross-reactivity, and detection limit. For the colorimetric assay, an on-chip-based PCR/label-free colorimetric assay is developed based on th…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/77371
note: ON-CHIP-BASED BIOSENSORS AND POINT-OF-CARE DEVICES FOR LABEL/PCR-FREE DETECTION OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM by George Luka B.Sc., Alexandria University, Egypt, 2003 M.Sc., Bangor University, UK, 2007 MPHIL, Bangor University, UK, 2012 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Mechanical Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) February 2021 © George Luka, 2021 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: On-chip-based biosensors and point-of-care devices for the label/PCR-free detection of Cryptosporidium submitted by George Luka in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Dr. Mina Hoorfar (Supervisor), School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia Supervisor Dr. Homayoun Najjaran (Co-Supervisor), School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia Co-Supervisor Dr. Jonathan Holzman, School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Keekyoung Kim, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Calgary Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Kasun Hewage, School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia University Examiner Dr. Khashayar Khoshmanesh, Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, RMIT University External Examiner iii Abstract Cryptosporidium, a critical waterborne protozoan pathogen found in water resources, is one of the main causes of serious illnesses and death worldwide, costing millions of dollars annually for its detection, identification and treatments. Early diagnostic techniques for detecting Cryptosporidium were established based on the existing tools such as microscopes immunoassays, and molecular techniques in specialized laboratories. However, these techniques are associated with certain limitations…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2021-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0395958
language: eng
degree discipline: Mechanical Engineering
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/77371