Our team was fortunate to have several opportunities to meet with professionals. We had the opportunity to: discuss our vision and project goals; learn from their expertise and use that knowledge to further develop our project; share ideas; and make contacts for potential future collaborations. These encounters were valuable (or precious) to us and helped make our project better. </br></br>

We want to thank all the professionals with whom we exchanged and especially thank the Rathenau Institute for all their help. During the summer, we worked with Mrs. Zoe Robaey from the Rathenau Instituut, who was a great help for the development of our application scenarios and the techno moral scenario. If you want know more about this collaboration click the fixed menu on the left.  

Vector-borne diseases are a major global health burden. One of the most dangerous vectors is the mosquito, which is responsible for more than one million deaths annually. After taking a blood meal on an infected individual, the mosquito carrying the pathogenic agent can transmit the pathogen to another host during a new bite. Despite intense research, vaccines and/or treatments are still needed, thus, the fight against these deadly diseases relies mostly on vector control. One of the primary sources for wide spread vector control are the usage of insecticides. </br>However, the over spraying of insecticides impacts the environment and leads to the selection of insecticide resistance mosquitoes. Therefore, we developed a novel diagnostic device, Mos(kit)o. This kit includes a fixed or mobile mosquito trap and a biosilica cellulose composite patch, produced by silica, which was the result of using genetically, modified E. coli. It was our intent to create a device that not only classified the vector-borne viruses circulating within specific regions but also provided a tool for local agencies to identify hot spots. This would allow for better targeting of insecticide spraying and it could help address public and environmental health concerns.</br></br></br>

With the assistance of synthetic biology, we successfully modified E. coli, within a contained fully functioning biosafety laboratory. With it, we produce the protein needed to create biosilica, and bind antibodies onto a cellulose support. We selected biosilica to increase rigidity of our patch and because it is completely biodegradable. The innovative design of the patch creates a multilayered matrix coated with antibodies capable of detecting a wide panel of vector-borne pathogens and insecticide resistant proteins from captured mosquitoes. This patch is customizable and can be easily adapted to simultaneously test for multiple vector-borne pathogens prevalent in specific locations. Additionally, the patch will have 2D barcoded readouts, generating an environmental surveillance database. A precise map of vector hot spots will provide a better assessment and response to vector-borne diseases, assisting local health authorities with anticipating and preparing for an epidemic. </br></br>