Market Assessment of a Dip-and-Fold Sensor Device for Rapid Assessment of Insecticides in Water Samples

滑铁卢大学的研究人员基于Ellman的乙酰胆碱酯酶抑制法，开发了一种低成本的一次性纸基检测装置，用于快速比色检测水样中的农药，特别是氨基甲酸酯和有机磷酸盐。Dip-and-Fold平台的主要优点包括：(i)无需添加试剂和一次性材料进行分析；（ii）消除与受污染样品直接接触的风险，因为样品可以通过毛细管作用转移到设备中；（iii）使用方便、简单及具成本效益的解决方案；（四）可持续装置。考虑到农药对水源污染的严重环境影响以及许多国家安全饮用水的严重缺乏，有可能确定对快速水评估工具的高需求，这些工具可供数百万最终用户使用和操作，包括政府实验室、研究人员、环境机构、农业工人、土著社区或任何担心暴露于这些污染物的普通公民。这项技术的潜在应用领域是(a)饮用水监测；(b)控制农业中农药的使用；(c)检测有机食品中的农药和其他化学品；(d)环境监测。作为市场评估补助金的一部分，被选中的顾问将进行全面的市场分析，以确定最合适的市场机会以及与在特定细分市场中应用该技术相关的技术、营销和财务挑战。有利的市场评估结果将进一步指导商业化途径和所选途径的基本原理，其中可能包括根据所确定的细分市场特征向现有公司或初创公司发放许可证。

The University of Waterloo researchers have developed a low-cost disposable paper-based testing device for the rapid colorimetric detection of pesticides, specifically carbamates and organophosphates, in water samples based on Ellman's method of acetylcholinesterase inhibition. The key advantages of the Dip-and-Fold platform consist of: (i) no addition of reagents and disposable materials for the analysis; (ii) elimination of risk of direct contact with the contaminated samples because the sample can be transferred to the device by capillarity; (iii) user-friendly, simple, and cost-effective solution; (iv) sustainable device. Considering the serious environmental impact of pesticides in water sources pollution and the alarming lack of safe drinking water in many countries, it is possible to identify a high demand for rapid water assessment tools that can be accessed and operated by millions of end-users, including government laboratories, researchers, environmental agencies, agricultural workers, indigenous communities, or any ordinary citizen that is concerned about being exposed to these contaminants. The potential application areas of this technology are (a) Drinking water monitoring, (b) Control of pesticide usage in agriculture, (c) Detection of pesticides and other chemicals in organic food, (d) Environmental monitoring. As part of this Market Assessment grant, the selected consultant will perform a thorough market analysis to identify the most suitable market opportunities and technical, marketing, and financial challenges associated with applying the technology in a particular market segment. A favourable market assessment result will further guide the commercialization pathway and the rationale for the selected pathway, which could include licensing to an existing company, or startup company, blended based on characteristics of market segments identified.