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

这项小型企业技术转让第一阶段项目采用新开发的技术构建一个“智能”自组装单层（SAM），用于快速检测麻痹性贝类毒素（PSTs）， PSTs是由藻类产生的神经毒性海产品毒素，然后在滤食性贝类中积累。这种因食用受污染的贝类而导致的疾病被称为麻痹性贝类中毒（PSP）。所提出的技术可适用于廉价的便携式设备，台式荧光仪的附件，或用于高通量分析的阵列。这项研究的更广泛影响与保护人类健康有关，因为它为确定人类食用贝类的安全性提供了一种替代动物试验的方法。pst对人类来说可能是致命的。PST检测程序可以使用许多技术，但小鼠生物测定是目前食品安全领域的基准技术。这种方法包括将一种贝类提取物注射到老鼠体内。老鼠死亡所需的时间与毒性有关。小鼠生物测定法是一种可靠的人体毒性指标，但成本高，耗时长，特别是对于大量样品。出于经济和道德的原因，另一种选择是非常可取的。

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.