| 摘要 |
Air flow systems, devices and methods for monitoring airborne agents include airborne agent collectors. Airborne agent collectors for collecting and detecting the presence and/or identification of an airborne agent(s) include a soluble and hydrophilic polycaprolactone (PCL) that has been treated with a base (e.g., a base having a pH greater than 8 (e.g., NaOH, NaHCO3, KOH, Na2CO3, and CA(OH)2) and in some embodiments, also treated with a neutralizing agent for increasing hydrophilicity. Detection and identification of airborne agents captured by an airborne agent collector can be performed using any suitable analytical protocols. Such protocols are well known in the art, and include nucleic acid assays, protein assays (e.g., mass spectrometry), and bioassays (e.g., in vitro and in vivo assays). The airborne agent collectors can be used for the detection and identification of nucleic acid from cells or organisms of any type (e.g., viruses, bacteria, fungi) in fixed structures (e.g., homes, sports arenas, theaters, buildings such as offices, laboratories, hospitals, schools, airports, train stations, bus stations, etc.) and in mobile, portable devices or machines (e.g., aircraft, automobiles, air-freshener, air-purifier, air re-circulator, vacuum cleaner, etc.). |
| 主权项 |
1. An air flow system comprising at least one airborne agent collector for collecting an airborne agent selected from the group consisting of: pathogen, virus, bacterium, fungus, toxin, and radioactive agent, the at least one airborne agent collector comprising soluble and hydrophilic polycaprolactone (PCL) that has been treated with a base having a pH greater than 8 and a neutralizing agent for increasing hydrophilicity,
wherein at least a portion of the PCL solubilizes when exposed to an airborne agent extraction reagent. |
