TurboLysis: A Low-Cost, Small-Footprint Device for Efficient Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Lysis

John Metcalfe of the University of California San Francisco in the U.S. will improve the turboLysis device for mechanical lysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from patient samples to enhance TB diagnosis. This device uses magnet-actuated steel beads to disrupt bacterial cells. A redesigned lower-cost version of the existing device will be built, and improvements will be tested, such as adding epoxy-coated paramagnetic beads in a sample cleanup step that eliminates the need for later centrifugation to remove cell debris. Patient samples in multiple formats will be tested for direct use in the device, including the tips of oral swabs and a filter with TB bacteria captured from sputum. Device performance will be compared to a commercial bead-beating device, including testing the turboLysis device in parallel to the standard protocol in an ongoing clinical trial in South Africa.