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Development of an autonomous algal toxin analytical platform for aquatic monitoring

Maguire, Ivan, Fitzgerald, Jenny, Heery, Brendan ORCID: 0000-0002-8610-5238, Murphy, Caroline, Nwankire, Charles, O'Kennedy, Richard, Ducrée, Jens ORCID: 0000-0002-0366-1897 and Regan, Fiona ORCID: 0000-0002-8273-9970 (2016) Development of an autonomous algal toxin analytical platform for aquatic monitoring. In: Europtrode 2016, 20-23 Mar 2016, Graz, Austria.

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Abstract

Cyclic peptide cyanobacterial toxins, in particular Microcystis aeruginosa, pose a serious health risk to humans and animals alike [1], [2]. Occurring mostly in fresh and brackish water, they have been identified to cause cancer promotion and liver damage [3]. Herein, we describe a portable, microfluidic-based system for in-situ detection of algal toxins in fresh water. The technology development presented here is a fully integrated and portable sample-to-answer centrifugal microfluidics-based system for the detection of toxic cyanobacteria – Microcystin-LR in fresh water. Our unique system employs highly-specific recombinant chicken anti-microcystin antibodies, prepared in-house, with a 3D-printed ‘LASER-photo¬diode’ fluorescent detection technique, also developed in-house. The system has high analytical specificity and sensitivity for detection of toxins below the regulatory limit with intra/inter day coefficient of variation of less than 20%. Dissolvable-film based valving technique was used for flow actuation and integration of multiple assays on the centrifugal cartridge. This new approach forms the basis of a cost efficient, USB-controlled water quality monitoring system. Technically, this integrated system consists of two components; a microfluidic disc (figure 1.A), the disc-holder fabricated and assembled from a 3D-printed casing, with electronic components housed in device. The 5-layered microfluidic disc consists of five reservoirs (figure 1.B), each with a separate venti-lation, aligned radially with inter-connected microchannels. A competitive immunoassay format is utilised to detect free toxin (figure 1.C). Sensitivity, reproducibility and ease-of-use are key features of this monitoring device. The ‘top-down’ optical detection system has been modified for improved detection sensitivity, as well as the elimination of external noise.

Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Event Type:Conference
Refereed:No
Uncontrolled Keywords:Aquatic monitoring; Microcystin toxins
Subjects:Physical Sciences > Analytical chemistry
Physical Sciences > Chemistry
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Chemical Sciences
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Biotechnology
Research Initiatives and Centres > Marine and Environmental Sensing Technology Hub (MESTECH)
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Physical Sciences
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License
ID Code:21252
Deposited On:27 Jun 2016 10:07 by Ivan Maguire . Last Modified 11 Oct 2018 10:33

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  • Development of an autonomous algal toxin analytical platform for aquatic monitoring. (deposited 27 Jun 2016 10:07) [Currently Displayed]

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