Alabama State University News Feb 15, 2011 ASU Professor Dr. Shree R. Singh Patents Invention to detect Respiratory Disease in Infants and Adults Dr. Shree R. Singh, director of ASU’s Center for NanoBiotechnology and Life Sciences Research, has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a co-inventor of using a DNA biochip to detect RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). A DNA biochip is a microchip that uses tiny strands of DNA to latch onto and quickly recognize thousands of genes at a time. Like a computer chip that can perform millions of mathematical operations in one second, a biochip can perform thousands of biological reactions, such as decoding genes, in a few seconds. RSV is a virus that causes respiratory tract infections. It is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infection and hospital visits during infancy and childhood. It can sometimes lead to death in babies less than 6 months old. It is also a recognized cause of illness in adults. Singh said the patent allows ASU to become more of a leader in the scientific community. “ASU has now established that great research is taking place here which is at the cutting edge,” Singh said. He said the discovery also will affectively impact the general public. “A faster and cheaper diagnosis of disease is possible through this technology,” Singh said. “The same principles work for many other disease diagnoses." This invention addresses the problem of simple, sensitive, specific and cost-effective diagnosis of RSV based on DNA-hybridization technique. Current methods of RSV diagnosis detections are tedious, time consuming, less sensitive and more expensive than the proposed DNA biochip. In the current innovation, a novel optical and mechanical approach is based on ssDNA attached to a microcavity, which hybridizes with its cDNA. This innovation has been developed to detect/analyze DNA hybridization for RSV virus detection. The approach uses an innovative means of analyzing RSV infection by using DNA as a recognizing molecule. This cost-effective technique can be used for mass production of DNA biochips by using electrochemical etching and sol-gel technique; thereby, reducing the cost of diagnosis significantly. The research was in collaboration with the University of South Florida. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.