School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2011 May;400(4):1031-9. doi: 10.1007/s00216-011-4815-8. Epub 2011 Mar 27.
Arsenic contaminated groundwater is estimated to affect over 100 million people worldwide, with Bangladesh and West Bengal being among the worst affected regions. A simple, cheap, accurate and disposable device is required for arsenic field testing. We have previously described a novel biosensor for arsenic in which the output is a change in pH, which can be detected visually as a colour change by the use of a pH indicator. Here, we present an improved formulation allowing sensitive and accurate detection of less than 10 ppb arsenate with static overnight incubation. Furthermore, we describe a cheap and simple high-throughput system for simultaneous monitoring of pH in multiple assays over time. Up to 50 samples can be monitored continuously over the desired time period. Cells can be stored and distributed in either air-dried or freeze-dried form. This system was successfully tested on arsenic-contaminated groundwater samples from the South East region of Hungary. We hope to continue to develop this sensor to produce a device suitable for field trials.
据估计，全世界有超过 1 亿人受到砷污染地下水的影响，孟加拉国和西孟加拉邦是受影响最严重的地区之一。砷现场测试需要一种简单、廉价、准确且一次性的装置。我们之前描述了一种用于砷的新型生物传感器，其输出是 pH 值的变化，可以通过使用 pH 指示剂进行目视检测，观察到颜色变化。在这里，我们提出了一种改进的配方，可以在静态过夜孵育的情况下，灵敏且准确地检测到低于 10 ppb 的砷酸盐。此外，我们还描述了一种廉价且简单的高通量系统，可用于随时间同时监测多个测定中的 pH 值。在所需的时间段内，最多可以连续监测 50 个样本。细胞可以以空气干燥或冷冻干燥的形式储存和分配。该系统已成功用于测试来自匈牙利东南部受污染地下水砷的样本。我们希望继续开发这种传感器，以生产出适合现场试验的设备。
