Portable sensor and smartphone app detect cyanotoxins
S. Himmelstein | June 26, 2019A portable cyanotoxin-detection system was designed by North Carolina State University researchers to Screenshots of the smartphone app of the cyanotoxin sensor. a) Welcome page. b) Data analysis page. Source: North Carolina State Universitymeasure four types of health-impacting water pollutants produced by blue-green algae. The smartphone-connected system returns results in about five minutes, making the platform a useful tool for rapid environmental monitoring.
A drop of water is placed on a microfluidic chip that is preloaded with single-stranded DNA dyes combined with molecules known as aptamers. These bind with any target molecules that may be present in a sample, causing them to fluoresce. After the chip is inserted into a smartphone, an app signals the presence and levels of four common types of cyanotoxins — anatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsin, nodularin and microcystin-LR.
The current iteration of the low-cost system is only applicable to the assessment of recreational water quality. A more sensitive model is under development for use in gauging drinking water safety.