Surface Display of Engineered Proteins for Trace Contaminant Adsorption

该项目是一个为期一年的“概念验证”方法，以评估一种从废水和饮用水供应中去除生物活性有机污染物（如药物和激素）的新方法。该方法包括将污染物吸附到由遗传修饰的酵母细胞合成并附着在细胞外表面的抗体上。然后通过絮凝去除酵母细胞。通过针对特定化合物，这种方法避免了去除大量不构成重大风险的非目标有机化合物的需要。基于替代痕量污染物的初步数据显示，在水和废水澄清剂的典型时间范围内，去除率令人印象深刻。

This project is a one-year "proof of concept" approach to evaluate a novel method to remove bio-active organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and hormones, from wastewater and drinking water supplies. The approach involves adsorption to of the contaminant compounds to antibodies synthesized by genetically modified yeast cells and attached to the outer cell surface. The yeast cells then will be removed by flocculation. By targeting specific compounds, this approach avoids the need to remove significant amounts of non-target organic compounds that do not pose a significant risk. Preliminary data based on a surrogate trace contaminant show impressive removal rates within the timeframe typical for water and wastewater clarifiers.