A microfluidic-based assay for rapid and multiplexed detection of toxins in water samples

蓝藻是一种革兰氏阴性细菌，能产生肝毒素和神经毒素等毒素。这些毒素有可能对人类健康造成广泛的不利影响。微囊藻毒素-亮氨酸-精氨酸(MC-LR)和柱状精蛋白(Cyn)是潜在的肝毒素、神经毒素和肿瘤促进剂，被认为是最危险的毒素，对动物和人类健康具有重大危害。遗憾的是，传统的MC-LR和CyN检测技术不仅价格昂贵、耗时长，而且灵敏度低，缺乏特异性。蓝狮实验室是一家总部位于滑铁卢的分支机构，开发基于人工智能(AI)的软件，以识别水样中的蓝藻和其他有害生物。蓝狮实验室目前可以确定水样中有害生物的类型，但无法识别或量化这些生物产生的毒素，这对水产养殖和饮用水作业至关重要。为了解决这个问题，在拟议的项目中，蓝狮实验室与滑铁卢大学的Poudineh实验室合作开发了一种名为毒素芯片的低成本快速原型，用于敏感和多次检测水样中的MC-LR和CyN。毒素芯片将基于免疫微珠的分析集成到专门设计的微流控设备中，以实现毒素的检测。该装置平台由三个模块组成：混沌混合模块、分类模块和采集室。与蓝狮实验室合作，还将开发一款人工智能软件，用于分析来自毒素芯片的数据。毒素芯片将产生重大影响：它能够快速检测天然水体和饮用水中的毒素，同时防止人类健康问题，并为更可持续的食物来源做出贡献。

Cyanobacteria are gram-negative bacteria that produce toxins such as hepatotoxins and neurotoxins. These toxins have the potential to cause a wide range of adverse human health. Microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR) and cylindrospermopsin (CYN) are considered the most dangerous toxins as they are potential hepatotoxin, neurotoxin, and tumor promoter and can significantly harm animal and human health. Unfortunately, the traditional techniques for MC-LR and CYN detection are expensive and time-consuming and also suffer from low sensitivity and lack of specificity. Blue Lion Labs is a Waterloo-based spin-off that develops artificial intelligence (AI)-based software to identify cyanobacteria and other harmful organisms in the water samples. Blue Lion Labs currently can determine the types of harmful organisms in water samples but cannot identify or quantify the toxins produced by those organisms, which is critical to aquaculture and drinking water operations. To address this problem, in the proposed project, Blue Lion Labs partners with the Poudineh Lab at the University of Waterloo to develop a low-cost and rapid prototype, called Toxin-Chip, for sensitive and multiple detection of MC-LR and CYN in water samples. The Toxin-Chip integrates an immunobead-based assay into a specially designed microfluidic device to achieve detection of toxins. The device platform combines three modules: a chaotic mixing module, a sorting module, and collection chambers. In collaboration with Blue Lion Labs, an AI software will be also developed for the analysis of data derived from the Toxin-Chip.The Toxin-Chip will have a significant impact: It enables rapid toxin detection in natural water bodies and drinking water while preventing human health issues and contributing to a more sustainable food source.