Molecularly imprinted polymer nanospheres and encapsulated quantum dots for chemical sensing of trace mycotoxins (fungal metabolites) and biological molecules (pathogen proteins)

我的研究计划将继续发展亲和探针，特别是分子印迹聚合物（MIPs），在真菌毒性和生物医学领域的应用，以改善人类健康保健和动物疾病的早期诊断。与传染性海绵状脑病（tse）相关的真菌毒素（如赭曲霉毒素A、展曲霉素和DON）和异常朊蛋白（PrPSc）可能比人造化学品对全球公共卫生和食品安全构成更严重和更明显的风险。利用定制的MIP的分子识别特性进行选择性预浓缩，在超痕量水平上测定任何单一霉菌毒素或PrPSc是最有希望的。毛细管电泳和微流控技术可用于多种真菌毒素或异常蛋白的同时检测。我们的短期目标集中在制备新型MIP纳米球，它可以特异性识别具有真菌毒性和生物医学意义的单目标化合物。分析科学中的关键当代和新兴挑战将在几种仪器方法中使用基于MIP纳米球的方法来解决。我们的长期目标是不断升级强大的MIP纳米球为基础的设备，仪器，方法，设施和专业知识的发展，有一天将有助于真菌毒素和生物医学研究与科学部门，政府实验室和联邦研究机构在渥太华和加拿大各地的合作。

My research program will continue with the development of affinity probes, especially molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), in mycotoxic and biomedical applications for both the improvement to human health care and the early diagnosis of animal diseases. Mycotoxins (such as ochratoxin A, patulin and DON) and abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) probably present a more serious and demonstrable risk to public health and food safety worldwide than man-made chemicals do. The determination of any single mycotoxin or PrPSc at ultratrace levels is most promising by selective pre-concentration using the molecular recognition property of a tailor-made MIP. For the determination of several mycotoxins or abnormal proteins simultaneously after selective pre-concentration on MIPs, capillary electrophoresis and microfluidics can offer many analytical separation merits. Our short-term objective is focused on the preparation of novel MIP nanospheres which can specifically recognize single target compounds of mycotoxic and biomedical significance. Key contemporary and emerging challenges in analytical sciences will be tackled using MIP nanospheres-based methods in several instrumental approaches. Our long-term objective is escalating the development of powerful MIP nanospheres-based devices, instruments, methods, facilities and expertise that will one day contribute to mycotoxic and biomedical research in collaboration with science departments, government laboratories and federal research institutions in Ottawa and across Canada.