A Hybrid Pathogen Detection System For Drinking Water
Vegrandis
700 W. Research Center Boulevard
Fayetteville, AR 72704
Telephone: 479-527-6591
http://www.vegrandis.com
Environmental Problem
Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst is a resilient water-
borne protozoan that resists ordinary water purifica-
tion treatments. It causes a gastrointestinal disease
called cryptosporidiosis which is one of five major
causes for 5 million deaths each year worldwide.
Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts are of particular
interest in the water industry because the infectious
dose is low (i.e., 1 to 132 ooycsts) and it does not
respond to common drug treatments. Recently, a
Cryptosporidium outbreak sickened more than
1,700 people, mostly children and teenagers, in
New York.
Under new requirements of the Drinking Water Act,
water systems using sand or diatomaceous earth filtra-
tion, those required to filter and use conventional/
direct filtration, and those using alternative filtration
must install and operate a technology that reliably
achieves 99 percent removal of Cryptosporidium
oocysts. To achieve these results, a reliable technology
with very low detection limits that eliminates false posi-
tives and false negatives must be developed and made
readily available to measure the levels of
Cryptosporidium oocysts in public water systems, includ-
ing surface water supplies, water treatment plant
process streams, and distribution systems. Vegrandis'
technology is appropriate for these needs.
SBIR Technology Solution
Assays for waterborne pathogens using microelec-
trochemical detection are desirable because the
microelectrochemical signal is dependent only on
the loss or gain of electrons from the electroactive
enzymatic product and is not affected by the sam-
ple color or turbidity minimizing pre-treatment pro-
cedures that are usually performed to eliminate
false positives and false negatives. Self-contained
microelectrochemical array assay platform technolo-
gy developed by the company's Chief Technology
Officer and her collaborators at the University of
Arkansas has been licensed exclusively to Vegrandis.
This technology offers advantages over existing
methods and is expected to provide the following
key benefits:
¦	Rapid assay at < 30 min with a detectable signal 30
seconds after incubation with the precursor to the
reporter molecule.
¦	Improved sensitivity that arises from the use of micro-
electrodes which generally show a high signal-to-
backgrouncl ratio.
¦	Low minimum detection concentration (i.e., 9 pg/mL
or 56 x 1015 moles/L IgG).
¦	Improved reliability of results (standard error of 1 to
3%) that arises from the reproducible covalent
immobilization of the capture of the monoclonal IgG
antibody on the solid platform.
« Large range of assay volumes (from 100 nL to >
35 mL).
« Flow-through device capable of capturing
pathogens from large sample volumes (i.e., up to
10 L).
*' Use of inexpensive portable, lightweight, permanent
equipment (< 3 lbs; > $3,000 to < $10,000) with
disposable assay cartridges.
SBIR Success Stories
¦	Multiple pathogens can be assayed simultaneously
in the same analysis event on the same sample
and can be detected simultaneously.
¦	Automated for high throughput analysis of multiple
samples and ease of use by nonskilled personnel.
¦	Elimination of false positives and false negatives.
¦	Unaffected by color and turbidity.
¦	Ability to assess precision and accuracy with
quality control and proficiency test samples.
A Chips with arrays of microwells (schematic shown on
8x3) that have three individually addressable electrodes
6 Microwell ELISA with microelectrochemical signal detection
Bottom electrode for capture, middle electrode for detection,
top electrode as reference/counter electrode
Figure A. The two microcavity array chips.
Figure B. Scanning electron micrograph of a 50-micron
diameter cavity on a chip with a schematic of the sandwich
type enzyme linked microelectrochemcial immunoassay
detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts.

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To use the Vegrandis Automated Electrochemical
Analyzer, the user places the sample in the sample
reservoir and the reagents in the reagent module,
inserts the disposable cartridge in the analyzer,
chooses the program, and clicks the start button.
The instrument has built in programs for the flow
injection system and for the electrochemical
detection that will follow the protocol for the cho-
sen assay. In less than 30 minutes, the LCD display
will show the quantity of oocysts in the sample.
Commercialization Information
In 2007, Vegrandis released the first few products
geared toward research application of the self-contained
microcavity electrodes. Clients have included universities
and small businesses developing microelectrochemical
detection of various analytes. The next wave of products
in development will be for environmental and water
monitoring. The products will include the fully auto-
mated 24-channel electrochemical and 5-fluid delivery
analyzer, and disposable cassettes for the detection of
C. parvum and C. lamblia. These will be released
toward the third quarter of 2008.
Other products in development are geared toward
homeland security and clinical diagnosis uses. These
products include a handheld 24-channel electrochem-
ical analyzer, reagent kits, and disposable cassettes for
the detection of B. anthracis, B. globigii, ricin, E. coli, P.
falciparum, P. vivax, and ovarian cancer biomarkers.
Company History
Vegrandis was started in April 19, 2002 in Fayetteville,
Arkansas. It was a spin-off from the University of
Arkansas where the self-contained microelectrochemical
devices were first developed by one of the company's
founders, Dr. Ingrid Fritsch. The company's mission is
to develop, build, and commercialize inexpensive,
easy-to-use, sensitive, and portable instruments, micro-
cavity arrays, laboratories-on-a-chip, and reagent kits
for medical, environmental, and homeland security
applications. The approach to achieve this mission is to
use miniaturized devices that are reusable or disposable
and are used with inexpensive easy-to-use automated
instrumentation that requires only nanoliter volumes of
reagents and samples. To date, the company has
received numerous grants to support its work.
SBIR Impact
The Vegrandis Automated Electrochemical Analyzer can quickly identify the
number of Cryptosporidium oocysts in a water sample.
Implementation of new technologies to remove 99 percent of Cryptosporidium
oocysts is expected to reduce the mean annual number of endemic illnesses
from Cryptosporidium by 12,000 to 41,000 cases per year in the United
States. Using these values, the mean estimated annual benefits of reducing
the illness ranges from $9.5 million to $58.3 million per year which is based
on a valuation of $796 to $1,411 per incidence of cryptosporidiosis prevented.
Products to indentify G. lamblia, B. anthracis, B. globigii, ricin, E. coli,
P. falciparum, P. vivax, and ovarian cancer biomarkers are in development.
SBIR Success Stories

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