AUSTIN (KXAN) – A University of Texas chemistry professor’s goal of helping remote areas detect drug-resistant tuberculosis will move closer to becoming reality after his project was awarded a $1.6 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to continue his research.

Andy Ellington’s award is one of 22 Grand Challenges announced Dec. 16.

Ellington is working to create a tuberculosis diagnostic tool to use in remote areas of the world that don’t have the appropriate infrastructure, such as in Afghanistan and Africa.

His plan is to create a real-time test using a small strip of paper that does not require refrigeration, which would incorporate synthenic DNA embedded in the paper. The DNA will work much like an integrated circuit in electronics, but in this case the signal it will amplify will be the presence of the TB bacteria in saliva.

Ellington says the ultimate goal of such “molecular computation” is to develop a DNA circuit that recognizes drug-resistant TB bacteria and produces a color easily seen by the naked eye. Appropriate interventions can then be made quickly for the patient and before the TB spreads further.

“From our research and that of others, we know what all the parts are that will make this work,” Ellington said. “The problem we are working on now is making the circuit sensitive enough to the minute levels of TB bacteria in a normal sample and decreasing false positives.”

“New and improved diagnostics to use at the point-of-care can help health workers around the world save countless lives,” said Chris Wilson, director of global health discovery at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “Our hope is that these bold ideas lead to affordable, easy-to-use tools that can rapidly diagnose diseases and trigger timelier treatment in resource-poor communities.”

For more information, contact Ellington at 512-232-3424.