Biosensor for Detecting Pharmaceutical Residues in Water

The intention of this research project is to detect pharmaceutical agents in water systems, specifically carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, and diclofenac. These substances present an issue as they compromise the water quality and have low removal rates from conventional water treatments. The use of nanotechnology in biosensors holds the promise of high sensitivity and miniaturization. Here the detection of these agents is based on a single DNA biochip for the parallelized analysis of the mobility of DNA tethered particles. A drug molecule is grafted to the DNAs at a precise location and the recognition element is coupled to the particles. In a competition assay, the particles initially linked to the DNA are released after the binding of a free drug to the recognition element. The binding event leading to an increase of the amplitude of motion of the particle is monitored by videoimaging. The biosensor would be tested in a synthetic water solution similar to river water with varying concentrations of each drug. DNA molecule biosensors have a wide range of applications for future water monitoring, and is an area of research that must be further explored.

Faculty Supervisor:

Joel Levine

Student:

Partner:

Université de Toulouse

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: