Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

We are aiming to develop an innovative highthroughput screening sensing platform for the detection and monitoring of Emerging Organic Contaminants (EOCs) in drinking water systems. EOCs correspond to a group of newly detected contaminating compounds with potential health hazards. Authorities are concerned about the potential public health impact of these new contaminants as they are finding their way into different drinking water systems. Among these contaminants are several families of compound that are particularly relevant to public health: antibiotics, hormones and other endocrine disrupting compounds. Highly sensitive detection methods for these compounds are in high demand as they are present only in trace amounts. Current detection methods for EOCs in water rely heavily on expensive analytical instruments and lengthy biological methods that are not suitable for routine field monitoring. We propose here a research program aiming to replace the current detection methodologies with an elegant, cost-effective detection system. This system is capable of multi-analyte analysis for simultaneous, high-throughput detection for the large number of EOCs. We will develop a novel sensing platform using nucleic acid-based recognition receptors targeting specific EOCs. Detection will be integrated with a highly efficient flow-through fishing and sample manipulation lab-on-a-chip system. This integrated system is capable of rapid (2-3 min) multi-analyte detection with low non-specific adsorption, without washing steps and use of reagents on-site, and eliminates the need for expensive laboratory manipulation for sample processing. This research program will generate significant IP in the field of nanoelectronic biosensor, establishing key bionanotechnology in Canada and will lead to the commercialization of novel monitoring devices to answer current and future environmental and public health needs.