EAGER: MONITORING NATION'S WATERS - TOWARDS A SWIMMING BIOSENSOR TO DYNAMICALLY MAP MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION

1248385 Yeghiazarian智力优点：仅在美国，由于水媒病原体引起的疾病，每年就损失约200亿美元的经济生产力。迄今为止，娱乐和饮用水源中的病原体检测仍然是一个重大挑战。为了防止人类暴露于病原体，实现对地表沃茨的微生物污染状态的实时或接近实时的认识，即何时何地水被污染，是至关重要的。为了在持续有效的地表水监测方面实现质的飞跃，迫切需要新的快速的、不依赖实验室的方法来监测和检测水传播病原体。PI的长期目标是开发自主的基于水凝胶的游泳生物传感器，以提供关于地表沃茨微生物污染状况的真实的和接近真实的时间信息。这一特定应用的目标是实现PI长期目标的下一阶段，目的是开发一种用于微生物水质探测的概念验证设备，能够在开放水域游泳并检测大肠杆菌，大肠杆菌是一种指示地表沃茨粪便污染的重要微生物。这项工作的基本原理是，一旦水生生物传感器的技术基础的开发，地表沃茨和各种水质参数的动态映射的持续探索将成为可能，这将导致，反过来，减少人类接触水传播的病原体，并增加在国内的供水安全。将合成各种直径和长度的圆柱形水凝胶并浸入水中。激光点辐射将用于诱导水凝胶中的光热体积相变，导致游泳所需的身体形状变化。目的#2：证明在无约束的水环境中捕获大肠杆菌。水凝胶将被官能化并暴露于E。大肠杆菌在不受约束的水介质中。将用显微镜确认微生物对水凝胶的附着。目标#3：纳入信号转导机制。该水凝胶将被功能化以表达在大肠杆菌存在下发荧光的发色团。该提案中采用的方法具有创造性，因为它支持来自两个不同领域的最先进方法：材料科学与工程提供了水凝胶合成和生物识别和信号转导元件耦合的方法，而设备移动性和控制则通过机器人技术实现。这种方法也是原创的，因为目前不存在基于水凝胶的病原体生物传感器。最后，该项目的交付成果有望改变微生物地表水质量监测的方式，并为生成关于微生物地表水污染的连续真实的或接近真实的时间信息铺平道路。该研究有望为水资源勘探和微生物检测提供游泳生物传感器。这一贡献意义重大，因为它将创建一个技术平台，彻底改变地表水资源的监测和管理，以供娱乐和饮用。更广泛的影响：接触新技术的发展是至关重要的，在塑造高中和大学生的未来职业生涯。我们建议在整个项目期间让研究生和本科生、高中生和教师参与并接受教育。将与两个UC计划（REU-本科生研究经验和STEP-科学和技术增强计划）建立伙伴关系。通过这种伙伴关系，1名UC研究生（STEP研究员），2名本科生和2名高中生将在PI实验室培训和参与研究和产品开发; 2个高中教学单元将在PI，STEP研究员和高中教师之间合作开发。这些教学单元将被纳入辛辛那提至少一所学生人数不足的高中的STEM课程。此外，STEP研究员将通过整合他们的教育，研究和职业发展来培训STEM学科的未来教师。学校强调STEM教育，STEP的目标是鼓励和激励学生接受高等教育。该项目给社会带来的一个主要长期利益是减少人类接触水传播的微生物污染物，这将提高生活质量，减少水传播疾病的经济负担，并增加国土供水的安全。

1248385YeghiazarianIntellectual Merit: About $20 billion per year of economic productivity is lost in the U.S. alone due to illnesses caused by waterborne pathogens. Pathogen detection in recreational and potable water sources remains a major challenge to date. To prevent human exposure to pathogens, it is crucial to achieve realor near-real time awareness of the microbial contamination status of surface waters, i.e. when and where water is contaminated. To make a qualitative leap in continuous and effective surface-water monitoring, there is urgent need for new rapid laboratory-independent methods for monitoring and detection of waterborne pathogens.The PI's long-term goal is the development of autonomous hydrogel-based swimming biosensors to provide real- and near-real time information on the microbial contamination status of surface waters. The objective of this particular application, which is the next phase in attaining the PI's long-term goal, is to develop a proof-of-concept device for microbial water quality exploration, capable of swimming in open water and detecting E.Coli, an important microorganism indicative of fecal contamination of surface waters. The rationale for this work is that, once the technological base for aquatic biosensors is developed, the continuous exploration of surface waters and dynamic mapping of various water quality parameters will become possible, which will lead, in turn, to a decrease in human exposure to waterborne pathogens and increase in the security of homeland's water supply.Aim #1: Demonstrate Hydrogel Locomotion in Unconstrained Aquatic Environment. Cylindrical hydrogels of various diameters and lengths will be synthesized and immersed in water. A laser spotirradiation will be used to induce photo-thermal volume phase transition in the hydrogel, resulting in body shape changes necessary for swimming.Aim #2: Demonstrate Capture of E.Coli in Unconstrained Aqueous Environment. The hydrogels will be functionalized and exposed to E. Coli in an unconstrained aqueous medium. Attachment of microorganisms to the hydrogels will be confirmed with a microscope.Aim #3: Incorporate the Signal Transduction Mechanism. The hydrogels will be functionalized to express chromophore that fluoresces in the presence of E.Coli.The approach taken in this proposal is creative as it espouses state-of-the-art methods from two different fields: Materials Science and Engineering provides methodology for hydrogel synthesis and coupling of biorecognition and signal transduction elements, while device mobility and control are implemented with Robotic Technology. This approach is also original because no aquatic gel-based pathogen biosensors currently exist. Finally, the project's deliverable is poised to transform the way microbial surface water quality is monitored, and paves the way to generating continuous real- or near real time information on microbial surface water contamination. The proposed research is expected to contribute a swimming biosensor for water exploration and microbial detection. This contribution is significant because it will create the technological platform to revolutionize the monitoring and management of surface water sources for recreational and potable use.Broader Impacts: Exposure to development of new technologies is vital in shaping future careers of high-school and college students. We propose to engage and educate graduate and undergraduate students, high school students and teachers in the entire duration of the project. A partnership will be formed with two UC programs (REU-Research Experience for Undergraduates, and STEP-Science and Technology Enhancement Program). Through this partnership, 1 UC graduate student (STEP Fellow), 2 undergraduate students and 2 high school students will train and participate in research and product development in the PI lab; and 2 high school teaching units will be developed in collaboration between the PIs, STEP Fellows and high school teachers. These teaching units will be incorporated into the STEM curriculum in at least one high school in Cincinnati with a large underrepresented student body. In addition, STEP Fellows will train as future faculty of STEM disciplines by integrating their education, research, and career development. The schools are emphasizing STEM education, and it is the goal of STEP to encourage and motivate students to pursue higher education. A major long-term benefit to society from this project is the reduction of human exposure to waterborne microbial contaminants, which will increase the quality of life, reduce the economic burden of waterborne disease and increase the security of homeland's water supply.