Physiologically-Coupled Biosensing Approaches for Real-time Monitoring of Environmental Contaminants

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." CBET- 0854036 Porterfield, David M Purdue University Physiologically-Coupled Biosensing Approaches for Real-time Monitoring of Environmental Contaminants Monitoring of effluents from point contamination sources and protection of drinking water supplies is a main environmental concern ? any engineering solution aimed at minimizing contamination to surface waters should include a system capable of detecting harmful substances in real-time. The principal objective of this project is to develop a biotechnology approach and instrumentation platform that enables real-time biomonitoring for environmental protection and remediation. The research tasks include: (1) Develop a high-throughput, multichannel monitoring system for detection of contaminants by transducing physiological responses of individual fish (Pimephales promelas) and aquatic invertebrate (Daphnia magna) embryos in real-time; (2) Validate this high-throughput monitoring system and iteratively optimize its performance using a wide array of water contaminants; and (3) Integrate interdisciplinary education programs within Discovery Park at Purdue University. Currently, the only real-time biomonitors that utilize whole animals are based on detecting changes in behavior of fish and invertebrates. These systems do not necessarily have the response time needed for real-time monitoring, as physiological systems must first respond to injury to elicit a change in behavior. Our preliminary data on monitoring O2 consumption in fathead minnow embryos suggests that this physiological sensing approach is much more sensitive than the best commercial system for real-time broad contaminant detection. By developing an advanced throughput, real-time instrumentation platform we will be able to monitor statistically reliable numbers of embryos, as a biomonitoring system that can be used to detect environmental toxins in surface waters. The physiologically coupled biomonitoring technology will be a dynamic new tool for environmental monitoring that could be deployed to monitor surface waters, effluent from point sources, or to monitor remediation efforts. The technology will also be used for toxicology research as a high throughput screening approach for chemicals to develop policy and water quality standards. As a result, the project will provide rich education opportunities for students, made possible by the interaction between biologists and engineers. A significant component of the educational impact, coordinated through the Discovery Learning Center will be the broad interdisciplinary opportunities aimed especially at minority students. Also, the Burton D. Morgan Entrepreneurial Center will facilitate education and commercialization of the novel instrumentation and technology. Finally, the PSF will disseminate this instrumentation by collaborating with outside users and hosting Web-based tutorials.