US-Ireland Partnership Program: BEACONS: Biosafety for EnvironmentAl COntaminants using Novel Sensors

美国-爱尔兰合作伙伴计划：信标：使用新型传感器实现环境污染物的生物安全

• 批准号: 0854020
• 负责人: Laurie Connell
• 金额: $ 37.05万
• 依托单位: University of Maine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-05-01 至 2013-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0854020&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: US; Ireland; Partnership; Program; BEACONS

0854020ConnellBEACONS is a unique collaboration between the United States, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, that aims to develop a novel sample preparation device coupled to a portable sensor which will be capable of rapidly analyzing for the presence of major aquatic toxins and associated organisms in water samples. It harnesses the substantial complementary expertise of the international partners and their institutions to address a problem that has world-wide implications for human health and aquatic related industries. The results will be used for the generation of a commercially applicable prototype device that could have the potential to be applied to a wide range of different analytical problems. The program will involve significant exchange of personnel and expertise and will generate novel scientific data and approaches linked with the solution of a key problem for all the partners' jurisdictions.This project will develop a set of easily portable instruments that can be utilized for biotoxin and toxic organism detection, and be adapted subsequently for monitoring of other potentially harmful organisms and their toxins. A key element for any field deployable sensing instrument is the acquisition and preparation of samples. Thus, the proposed research includes development of a sample preparation platform and associated protocols for concentration and delivery of targeted toxin and nucleic acid sequences to a hand-held detection device. The expected outcome is the development of a sample preparation module and assay methods for an optical detection device, based on planar waveguide technology, capable of measuring in real time the presence of both toxin producing organisms and the toxins themselves in coastal and fresh water samples. The sample preparation module will involve the integration of novel microfluidics with peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and engineered broad affinity, highly stable capture antibodies. Resultant extracts will be introduced into the detection system, which will employ an array-based, planar waveguide technology previously incorporated into a hand-held device by a commercial partner and made available to project collaborators for development of assays for toxins and organisms. They will utilize highly specific, engineered antibodies for capturing toxin molecules and PNAs as capture probes to detect the corresponding toxigenic organisms. This technology is expected to provide new and improved means of assessing the potential risks associated with contamination of coastal and fresh water fishery resources by algal biotoxins.The US-Ireland Partnership Program has been endorsed at the highest political levels by the three jurisdictions (U.S., Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland). The added value for the U.S. from the BEACONS proposal includes a combination of significant intellectual and financial contributions from Ireland. Moreover, the project will involve a well coordinated exchange of researchers between the participating organizations. In particular, the opportunities of exchange visits for young scientists employed on the project will be important from both scientific and cultural perspectives. A critical element of detecting any analyte is sample processing. Therefore, in addition to stronger international collaborations and training of young scientists, this project aims to provide a new portable and flexible platform that can be adapted for the sensor-based detection of other biotoxins and/or microbes.

connellbeacons是美国、北爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国之间的一项独特合作，旨在开发一种新型的样品制备设备，该设备与便携式传感器耦合，能够快速分析水样中主要水生毒素和相关生物的存在。它利用国际伙伴及其机构的大量互补性专门知识来解决一个对人类健康和水产相关产业具有世界范围影响的问题。结果将用于产生商业上适用的原型设备，该设备可能具有应用于各种不同分析问题的潜力。该计划将涉及人员和专业知识的大量交流，并将产生新的科学数据和方法，与解决所有合作伙伴辖区的关键问题有关。该项目将开发一套易于携带的仪器，可用于生物毒素和有毒生物的检测，并随后加以调整，用于监测其他潜在有害生物及其毒素。任何现场可部署的传感仪器的关键要素是采集和制备样品。因此，拟议的研究包括开发样品制备平台和相关方案，用于将靶向毒素和核酸序列浓缩并递送到手持检测设备。预期的结果是开发一种基于平面波导技术的光学检测装置的样品制备模块和分析方法，能够实时测量沿海和淡水样品中产生毒素的生物和毒素本身的存在。样品制备模块将涉及整合新型微流体与肽核酸（PNAs）和工程广泛亲和力，高度稳定的捕获抗体。由此产生的提取物将被引入检测系统，该系统将采用基于阵列的平面波导技术，该技术先前由商业合作伙伴整合到手持式设备中，并可供项目合作者用于开发毒素和生物体的检测。他们将利用高度特异性的工程化抗体来捕获毒素分子，并将PNAs作为捕获探针来检测相应的产毒生物。这项技术有望提供新的和改进的方法来评估与沿海和淡水渔业资源受到藻类生物毒素污染有关的潜在风险。美国-爱尔兰伙伴关系计划得到了三个司法管辖区（美国、爱尔兰共和国和北爱尔兰）在最高政治层面的支持。美国从BEACONS提案中获得的附加值包括来自爱尔兰的大量智力和财政贡献。此外，该项目将涉及各参与组织之间协调良好的研究人员交流。特别是，从科学和文化的角度来看，项目雇用的青年科学家的交流访问机会将是重要的。检测任何分析物的一个关键因素是样品处理。因此，除了加强国际合作和培训年轻科学家外，该项目还旨在提供一种新的便携式灵活平台，可用于基于传感器的其他生物毒素和/或微生物检测。