SBIR Phase II: Rapid Detection of Fecal Contamination in Drinking Water

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目涉及一种新型的，快速的和具有成本效益的检测系统，用于供水中的粪便污染。虽然现有的方法可以检测水样中的粪便污染，但在灵敏度、准确度和速度方面还需要改进。该提案描述了一种新型传感器的改进，该传感器利用昆虫化学感受蛋白作为产品中的识别元件，检测大肠杆菌的特征代谢产物吲哚。该生物传感器具有高度的特异性和灵敏度，可以快速检测低水平的E。大肠杆菌或粪便污染的供水，并包括一个新的实施侧流技术，可用于家庭或在工业中。这项研究的更广泛的影响是，昆虫CSP为基础的生物传感器，如所描述的构成一个平台技术，直接应用于检测环境，化学或生物化合物或污染物，包括检测有害的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs），食品和药品的质量控制、检测化学或药物合成过程中产生的毒素或立体异构体以及检测武器或爆炸物中存在的挥发性化合物。这些生物传感器还可用于医疗诊断以及其他许多需要高速、灵敏度和分析物选择性的应用。该平台技术可直接应用于各种重要的传感器和检测器实施，这些实施影响众多行业、公共安全和公共健康。这里描述的水安全监测器只是可能的应用的一个例子。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project concerns a novel, rapid and costeffective detection system for fecal contamination in water supplies. Although existing methods candetect fecal contamination in water samples, improvements are needed in sensitivity, accuracy, and speed.This proposal describes the refinement of a novel sensor utilizing an insect chemosensory protein as therecognition element in a product that detects indole, a characteristic metabolite of coliform bacteria. Thebiosensor acts with high specificity and sensitivity, allowing the rapid detection of low level E. coli orfecal contamination in water supplies, and encompasses a novel implementation of lateral flowtechnology that can be used at home or in industry.The broader impacts of this research are that insect CSP-based biosensors as described constitute aplatform technology with direct applications in the detection of environmental, chemical, or biologicalcompounds or contaminants, including the detection of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs),quality control of foods and pharmaceuticals, the detection of toxins or stereoisomers generated duringchemical or pharmaceutical synthesis, and the detection of volatile compounds present in weapons orexplosives. These biosensors can also be used in medical diagnostics as well as numerous otherapplications where high speed, sensitivity and analyte selectivity are required. The platform technologyhas immediate application to a variety of important sensor and detector implementations that affectnumerous industries, public safety, and public health. The water safety monitor described herein is onlyone example of the applications possible.