An idea for a new portable test to detect TB in humans has earned an Aberystwyth University student a place as one of five finalists in The Telegraph STEM Awards 2019.

Eleanor Wilson is a third-year student on the MBiol degree at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences and has been selected from a field of over 10,000 entrants for this year’s award.

Now in their sixth year, The Telegraph STEM Awards offer undergraduates the chance to prove their talent to some of the biggest names in industry.

This year, entrants were invited to put forward ideas that might solve problems in five challenge areas – healthcare, innovation, automotive technology, electrical and defence technology.

Eleanor’s proposal is to use the gene editing platform CRISPR to diagnose TB in humans, a condition that can be prevalent among HIV sufferers worldwide.

Eleanor said: “This relatively new CRISPR technology is mainly used for gene therapy, but I have developed this idea to use it as a mobile diagnostic tool, which in very simple terms works in a similar way to a pregnancy test.

“My design uses CRISPR technology to scan DNA in a sputum sample for a “fingerprint” region specific to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

“Once the CRISPR system has bound to the target region of DNA, an enzyme is activated resulting in a coloured band appearing in the device, thus reporting the presence of TB DNA in the sample.

“By changing the target DNA this system can also be used to look for drug or antibiotic resistance genes.”

As one of this year’s finalists, Eleanor presented her idea to a specialist panel in London in mid April. The winner will be announced in June and will receive a prize of £25,000.

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