Detecting Bacteria with Blu-ray Players

Mar-13-14 Researchers have developed a way to hack off-the-shelf Blu-ray players for use as inexpensive medical screening devices to detect pathogens such as Salmonella.

To give the Blu-ray player its bacteria-sensing capabilities, the team equipped it with a custom data board able to measure the reflectivity of the disc. Pieces of DNA or protein, called probes, were then attached to the surface of the disc and their location noted. A solution containing the DNA of the pathogen, or its toxin, was then applied to the probe-side of the disc. When the excess solution was washed off, bits of the DNA or toxin remained behind, stuck to the probes.

The team then put the disc in the drive, where the laser scanned the disc to create a high-resolution image of the samples captured by the probes. So far, the Blu-ray method has allowed researchers to successfully identify Salmonella typhimuium, the intestinal parasite Cronobacter sadazakii and a biotoxin created by bacteria that can infect drinking water.

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[PBS.ORG]
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