Development of a lab-on-chip nitrate and nitrite system for natural waters

这项研究将利用微流体系统和芯片实验室设备来原位检测深海部署的硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐。 微全分析系统和芯片实验室技术的概念始于20世纪90年代初，起源于生物医学/医疗保健研究，并创造了像Abbott Point of Care i-STAT这样具有影响力和行业转变的结果。这些微加工系统联合收割机结合了广泛的技术，通常集成了光学、流量控制和电子学。这些传感器基于微米尺寸通道的网络，自然有助于降低试剂和功耗，以及减小物理尺寸。然而，很少有片上实验室系统被设计成用于原位部署、深海部署或长使命持续时间部署。 大多数微流体系统是针对标准压力和温度范围设计的，并且大多数仅在实验室工作台上操作几分钟/小时。 已经有一些开创性的努力，使用芯片实验室技术来创建水生环境的营养分析仪。 这些努力已经持续了近十年，但还没有广泛的商业产品。 RBR Ltd.希望获得创建芯片实验室技术的知识和经验，并成为全球第一个将微流体营养分析仪商业化的公司，目标是科学海洋学社区和环境监测行业。 我们计划解决阻碍这一有前途的技术大规模采用的关键光学和流体处理挑战。 RBR Ltd.在设计和制造适用于环境、地球物理和海洋监测的坚固耐用的高精度海洋仪器方面拥有42年的成功历史。 我们的目标，与西本教授和他在达尔豪西的合作者，将是创造一个紧凑的实验室芯片硝酸盐/亚硝酸盐传感器。 这将极大地改变目前在获取硝酸盐/亚硝酸盐通量数据和了解沿海和海洋生态系统人为影响方面的做法。

This study will utilize microfluidic systems and lab-on-a-chip devices for sensing nitrate and nitrite in situ for deep ocean deployments. The concept of micro-total-analysis systems and lab-on-chip technology was started in the early 1990s, and originated in biomedical/healthcare research and created impactful and industry-shifting results like the Abbott Point of Care i-STAT. These microfabricated systems combine a wide-range of technologies and often integrate optics, flow control, and electronics. The sensors are based on networks of micrometer sized channels and naturally lend themselves toward lower reagent and power consumption, as well as reduced physical size. However, very few lab-on-chip systems have been designed with the intention of deployment in situ, or in the deep ocean, or for long mission durations. Most microfluidic systems are designed for standard pressure and temperature ranges, and most only operate for a few minutes/hours on a laboratory bench. There have been a few pioneering efforts on using lab-on-a-chip technologies to create nutrient analyzers for aquatic environments. These efforts have been ongoing for nearly a decade and yet there are no wide-spread commercial offerings. RBR Ltd. would like to gain knowledge and experience in the creation of lab-on-chip technologies and be the first world-wide to commercialize a microfluidic nutrient analyzer targeting the scientific oceanography community and the environmental monitoring industry. We plan on addressing the key optical and fluid handling challenges that have hindered the dramatic adoption of this promising technology. RBR Ltd. has a successful 42-year history of designing and manufacturing rugged and high precision oceanographic instrumentation suitable for environmental, geophysical, and oceanographic monitoring. Our target, with Professor Sieben and his collaborators at Dalhousie, would be the creation of a compact lab-on-chip nitrate/nitrite sensor. This would be highly transformative to current practices in acquiring data on nitrate/nitrite flux and on understanding anthropogenic impacts on the coastal and ocean ecosystem.