Development of a field biosensor to monitor fungal activity in situ

该博士项目将专注于开发一种生物传感器，该传感器可用于在大规模实验室测试和田间试验中监测真菌生长，以了解真菌生物量如何随时间和空间随不同生长策略和环境条件的变化而演变。该博士项目是由UKRI未来领袖研究员Grainne El Muntassir博士领导的更大研究计划的一部分，该计划将研究工程真菌生长以增强土坡稳定性的方法。使用基于自然的解决方案加固土坡的一个关键方面是能够在现场监测处理策略的有效性。该博士项目将专注于开发一种移动的、低成本的传感器，可用于识别真菌存在的关键生物标记物，如麦角甾醇(真菌细胞膜中发现的一种甾醇)、甲壳素(真菌细胞壁的主要成分)和疏水素(丝状真菌产生的蛋白质)。该项目的主要目标是：-研究和创新使用电化学生物传感器的关键真菌生物标志物的检测策略。-开发一个原型生物传感器，表征和验证传感器的响应。-应用该生物传感器评估不同条件对真菌生长和进化随时间的空间分布的影响。

This PhD project will focus on the development of a biosensor which can be used to monitor fungal growth both in large-scale laboratory tests and in field trials in order to understand how fungal biomass evolves over time and space in response to different growth strategies and environmental conditions.This PhD project is part of a larger research programme led by Dr Grainne El Mountassir (UKRI Future Leaders Fellow) which will investigate methods of engineering fungal growth to enhance the stability of soil slopes. A critical aspect in using nature-based solutions to reinforce soil slopes is the ability to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment strategy in situ. This PhD project will focus on the development of an on-the-go, low-cost sensor that can be used for the identification of key biomarkers of the presence of fungi, such as ergosterol (a sterol found in the cell membranes of fungi), chitin ((the major component of fungal cell walls) and hydrophobins (proteins produced by filamentous fungi). The key project aims are to:- Investigate and innovate a detection strategy for key fungal biomarkers using electrochemical biosensors.- Develop a prototype biosensor, characterise and validate the sensor response.- Apply the biosensor to assess the influence of different conditions on the spatial distribution of fungal growth and evolution over time.