Grantee Research Project Results
Environmental Sensing System Enhanced With Nested Concentrating Electrodes (ESSENCE) for Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
EPA Contract Number: EPD14025Title: Environmental Sensing System Enhanced With Nested Concentrating Electrodes (ESSENCE) for Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Investigators: Collins, Dr. John
Small Business: Biopico Systems
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: May 1, 2014 through April 30, 2015
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2014) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Drinking Water and Water Monitoring
Description:
Water quality is critical for human health and habitation, so a timely identification of pathogens is necessary to avoid severe infections and ensure safe and sustainable water resources. Most of the existing microorganism concentration methods are based on filtration using size or charge membranes, and a generic membrane-filtration method with the ability to simultaneously concentrate all microorganisms from water with large recovery percentages is difficult to achieve. Electrical impedance/capacitance methods offer poor sensitivity and selectivity. Automated or semiautomated DNA, antibody or biochemical-based methods have been proven to detect pathogens, but they require additive chemicals and lack the capability of repeating measurements. Therefore, fast pre-processing and ultrasensitive/specific tools that offer portability and repeated measurements are required for detecting pathogenic microorganisms in remote field locations. With advances in microfluidic technologies, miniaturized analytical devices integrated on a chip-scale platform have become a promising alternative for carrying out biodetection.
Supplemental Keywords:
Sensing, electrodes, water, biodetection, pathogenProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.