STTR Phase I: Smart SAM for Visible Detection of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins

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This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project applies newly developed technology to construct a "smart" Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAM) for the rapid detection of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins, (PSTs), which are neurotoxic seafood poisons produced by algae then accumulated in filter-feeding shellfish. The disease that results from ingestion of contaminated shellfish is called Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning or PSP. The proposed technology could be applicable to an inexpensive, portable device, to an accessory for a benchtop fluorometer, or in an array for high throughput analysis. The broader impacts of this research are related to the protection of human health by providing an alternative to animal testing in determining the safety of shellfish for human consumption. PSTs can be fatal to humans. PST detection programs may use a number of techniques, but mouse bioassay is the current benchmark technique in the food safety arena. This method involves injection of a shellfish extract into a mouse. The time it takes the mouse to die correlates with toxicity. The mouse bioassay is a reliable indicator of human toxicity, but it is expensive and time consuming, especially for large numbers of samples. For both economic and ethical reasons, an alternative is highly desirable.