An Affordable Microsphere-Based Device for Visual Assessment of Water Quality

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dc.contributor.authorRajwani, Azra
dc.contributor.authorRestall, Brendon
dc.contributor.authorMuller, Nathan J.
dc.contributor.authorRoebuck, Scott
dc.contributor.authorWillerth, Stephanie M.
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-09T20:40:59Z
dc.date.available2018-11-09T20:40:59Z
dc.date.copyright2017en_US
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractThis work developed a prototype of an affordable, long-term water quality detection device that provides a visual readout upon detecting bacterial contamination. This device prototype consists of: (1) enzyme-releasing microspheres that lyse bacteria present in a sample, (2) microspheres that release probes that bind the DNA of the lysed bacteria, and (3) a detector region consisting of gold nanoparticles. The probes bind bacterial DNA, forming complexes. These complexes induce aggregation of the gold nanoparticles located in the detector region. The nanoparticle aggregation process causes a red to blue color change, providing a visual indicator of contamination being detected. Our group fabricated and characterized microspheres made of poly (ε-caprolactone) that released lysozyme (an enzyme that degrades bacterial cell walls) and hairpin DNA probes that bind to regions of the Escherichia coli genome over a 28-day time course. The released lysozyme retained its ability to lyse bacteria. We then showed that combining these components with gold nanoparticles followed by exposure to an E. coli-contaminated water sample (concentrations tested—106 and 108 cells/mL) resulted in a dramatic red to blue color change. Overall, this device represents a novel low-cost system for long term detection of bacteria in a water supply and other applications.en_US
dc.description.reviewstatusRevieweden_US
dc.description.scholarlevelFacultyen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipFunding for this project was received from Grand Challenges Canada “Stars in Global Health” Program, the Canada Research Chairs Program and the British Columbia Innovation Council. We would also like to thank Alexandre Brolo and Milton Wang from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Victoria for providing us with the gold nanoparticles used in this study and for providing feedback on this manuscript.en_US
dc.identifier.citationRajwani, A., Restall, B., Muller, N., Roebuck, S. & Willerth, S. (2017) An Affordable Microsphere-Based Device for Visual Assessment of Water Quality. Biosensors, 7(3), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios7030031en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/bios7030031
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/10278
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBiosensorsen_US
dc.subjectwater quality
dc.subjectglobal health
dc.subjectcolorimetric assay
dc.subjectdrug delivery
dc.subjectmicrospheres
dc.subjectnanoparticles
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Mechanical Engineering
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Medical Sciences
dc.titleAn Affordable Microsphere-Based Device for Visual Assessment of Water Qualityen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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