Next Generation Biosensing for Environmental Management

环境中的有毒污染物可以是人为的，例如药物、多氯联苯，也可以是天然存在的，例如海洋和淡水毒素、真菌毒素和病原体。许多污染物已被证明会进入食物网，对植物、动物和人类健康产生短期和长期的直接负面影响。目前对各种污染物和病原体的监测有限，往往是由不同的主管部门和不同的分析方法进行的，因此所产生的数据没有结合其他环境参数，包括气候条件，进行全面评价。因此，政府当局需要对我们的自然环境有更全面的认识，以改善对我们的食物和水供应链的监测，从环境到农场到餐桌，都有有毒污染物和病原体。通过实施一项从自然环境开始并以海洋环境和水产养殖生产为例的单一健康安全战略，该项目的目的是审查负担得起的、敏感的、具体的、用户友好的、快速的和有力的，设备免费并可交付给最终用户（保证）生物分析监测工具的多重诊断工具，可以同时监测关键污染物和病原体。拟议的研究项目将承担：A.战略性开发和评估创新的、尖端的、下一代原型的、有保证的纳米诊断工具，用于对水产养殖业关注的病原微生物（细菌和病毒）、化学污染物和海洋生物毒素进行综合和同步监测和监视，以实现可持续的粮食安全，保障水产养殖业和保护人类健康。利用原型技术与当前最先进的方法进行工艺研究，通过分析在北爱尔兰20年监测方案期间收集的当前样本和历史数据，评估水产养殖环境中病原微生物、化学污染物和海洋生物毒素的现状。将在同一时期内在不同地点整理的历史物理、化学和生物数据以及路线图，可用于确定知识差距，以评估增长领域和气候变化对该行业的潜在影响。

Toxic contaminants in the environment can be anthropogenic, e.g. drugs, PCBs or naturally occurring, e.g. marine and freshwater toxins, mycotoxins and pathogens. Numerous contaminants have been shown to enter food webs with immediate negative short term and longer term impacts on plant, animal and human health. Limited monitoring is currently performed for various contaminants and pathogens often by different authorities and different analytical methodologies whereby the data generated is not combined and evaluated holistically relative to other environmental parameters, including climatic conditions. As such a greater holistic awareness is required of our natural environment for government authorities to improve monitoring of our food and water supply chain for toxic contaminants and pathogens from environment to farm to fork. By implementing a one health security strategy commencing with the natural environment and using the marine environment and aquaculture production as an example, the aim of this project is to examine affordable, sensitive, specific, user friendly, rapid and robust, equipment free and deliverable to end users (ASSURED) multiplex diagnostic tools for bioanalytical monitoring tools that can monitor key contaminants and pathogens simultaneously.The proposed research project will undertake:A. The strategic development and evaluation of innovative, cutting edge, next generation prototype ASSURED nanodiagnostic tools for the combined and simultaneous monitoring and surveillance of pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria and viruses), chemical contaminants and marine biotoxins of concern to the aquaculture industry for sustainable food security, safeguarding the industry and protecting human health.B. To utilise prototype technologies in comparison to current-state of the art methods to conduct process studies to assess the current status of the aquaculture environment for pathogenic microorganisms, chemical contaminants and marine biotoxins through the analysis of current samples and historical data collected in NI during a 20 year programme of monitoring.C. The historical physical, chemical and biological data that has been collated over the same period of time at different sites and a road map will be created that can be used to identify gaps in knowledge for evaluating areas of growth and the potential effects of climate change for the industry.