Further development of protein-based biosensors and assessment of their commercialization potential within the Canadian aquaculture industry

In the agri-food industry, monitoring the production and/or processing of raw materials can be important for ensuring the quality of the end-product. Measurement of specific compounds during processing can provide the feedback required to make informed adjustments resulting in a quality enhancement of the product. Biosensors are the devices that can provide detection and/or quantification of specific chemical compounds in a sample. For biosensors to be integrated into existing processing they need to provide accurate results in little time, be cheap, and simple to operate. Protein-biosensors are a type of biosensor that meet these requirements by providing high sensitivity and selectivity of target compounds, real-time measurement of target molecules, and are biodegradable. We have developed a computational pipeline that allows for expediated production of new custom biosensors. The overall aim of this project is to determine the commercialization potential and feasibility of protein-biosensors in the aquaculture industry.

Faculty Supervisor:

Hans-Joachim Wieden

Student:

Harland Brandon

Partner:

Springboard Atlantic

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Lethbridge