BloomSafe: Developing a cost-effective, rapid and portable diagnostic tool for the detection of toxins resulting from algal blooms

藻类是生活在湖泊、池塘和河流等水体中的微生物。通常肉眼看不见，它们的存在往往不被公众注意。然而，由于污染导致的营养物质增加会导致这些藻类过度生长，即所谓的藻华，导致水呈现出明显的绿色。这些水华中含有的一些藻类会产生有害的毒素，对人类和动物都很危险，会导致疾病。在娱乐水域，这可能对经济不利，因为在存在毒素的情况下，水上活动是不安全的。开花还会造成生态破坏，遮蔽其他植物，导致生态系统质量下降。最危险的藻类毒素之一是微囊藻毒素，它来自一种叫做微囊藻的藻类。世界卫生组织（世卫组织）对饮用水和娱乐用水中的微囊藻毒素浓度设定了限制。为了测试水样是否安全符合这些准则，需要进行科学的实验室测试。这些实验室检测可能昂贵、耗时且操作复杂，需要专门设施和经过科学培训的工作人员。我们的项目BloomSafe将提供一种易于使用的工具，称为纸张分析设备（PAD），它将大大简化微囊藻毒素的监测。它将使最终用户能够轻松地检测水中微囊藻毒素的存在，以及这些浓度是否超过世卫组织的最大限值。PAD是一种小型纸质设备，大约信用卡大小，预装了少量化学物质。当将含有毒素的水加入该装置时，会发生化学反应，导致颜色变化，表明存在微囊藻毒素。它是为非专业人士设计的，与智能手机应用程序和网站一起使用，用户可以上传信息，实现实时数据收集和可视化水华发生和微囊藻毒素浓度。该项目汇集了三位在PAD开发、藻类生物学和公民科学方面具有专业知识的学术研究人员：i)开发一种易于使用和准确的PAD设备，ii)在一系列藻华中验证该设备，iii)开发一款智能手机应用程序和网站，以收集和存储PAD设备的信息，以及iv)开展一项试点公民科学计划，以验证PAD和应用程序。开发一种快速、经济高效、用户友好的工具来量化淡水中的微囊藻毒素，将大大提高公众和监管机构监测藻华爆发的能力。从而减少健康风险。

Algae are microscopic organisms that live in waterbodies such as lakes, ponds and rivers. Typically invisible to the naked eye, their presence often goes unnoticed by the public. However, an increase in nutrients as a result of pollution can lead to excessive growth of these algae, known as an algal bloom, leading to the water taking on a distinct green colouration. Some of the algae contained within these blooms produce harmful toxins which are dangerous to humans and animals, leading to illness. In recreational waters, this can be bad for the economy as water-based activities are unsafe in the presence of toxins. Blooms also cause ecological damage, shading out other plants and leading to a poorer quality ecosystem. One of the most dangerous algal toxins is microcystin, which comes from an algae called Microcystis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set limits for microcystin concentrations in both drinking and recreational waters. To test whether a water sample is safely within these guidelines, scientific laboratory testing is required. These laboratory tests can be expensive, time-consuming and are complicated to perform requiring specialist facilities and scientifically trained staff. Our project, BloomSafe, will provide an easy-to-use tool known as a paper analytical device, or PAD, that will greatly simplify the monitoring of microcystins. It will allow end-users to easily detect the presence of microcystin toxin in water, and whether those concentrations exceed the WHO maximum limits. The PAD is a small paper-based device, about the size of a credit card, on which small volumes of chemicals are preloaded. When toxin containing water is added to the device, a chemical reaction occurs that causes a colour change indicating the presence of microcystin. It is designed to be used by non-specialists, alongside a smartphone app and website that will allow users to upload information, enabling real-time data collection and visualisation of bloom occurrence and microcystin concentrations.This project brings together three academic researchers with expertise in PAD development, algal biology and citizen science to: i) develop a PAD device that is easy to use and accurate, ii) validate the device across a range of blooms, iii) develop a smartphone application and website to collect and store information from the PAD devices, and iv) do a pilot citizen science programme to validate the PAD and app.The development of a rapid, cost-effective, user-friendly tool to quantify microcystins in freshwaters will greatly enhance the ability of the public and regulatory bodies to monitor bloom outbreaks, therefore reducing health risks.