This Phase I application aims to determine the feasibility of using lipid enhanced nanosensor (LENS) arrays for smart-phone based detection of lead (Pb2+) and mercury (Hg2+) in drinking water at concentrations above FDA allowable levels. LENS arrays are composed of fluid lipid multilayer diffraction gratings on surfaces. The fluid nature of these arrays has two advantages (1) reagents can be included within the grating volume, and (2) changes in the grating nanostructure upon analyte binding results in an optical readout signal. Three aims must be achieved before proceeding with a Phase II project. First, the sensors must be adapted for selective detection of lead and mercury in a laboratory setting. This will be done by functionalizing the sensor elements with nucleotide sequences known to bind lead and mercury ions. The sensitivity and selectivity of the individual sensor elements will be determined. These elements will then be integrated into arrays composed of different lipid formulations using nanointaglio printing, and selectivity for the analytes at concentrations above FDA allowable levels will be obtained by using an optical nose approach. In order to achieve portability and affordability, a smart-phone attachment will be developed that makes use of the light source camera for detection. The attachment will require a sample volume of one drop (i.e. less than 10 microliters). Finally, the LENS arrays will be tested on real-world water samples spiked with the ions of interest. Our ultimate goal is to produce an affordable general purpose smart-phone attachment and specific cartridges for detection of analytes of interest to the consumer. Successful achievement of the aims of this proposal will demonstrate the technical feasibility of using LENS arrays for detection of lead and mercury in drinking water. As the LENS array technology is potentially scalable, there is potential for multiplexed detection of thousands of analytes from a single drop.
Public Health Relevance Statement: PROJECT NARRATIVE Lead and copper, and mercury are very common in the environment and the public are exposed to these trace toxic metals through different routes. The lead contamination in Flint drinking water is a tragic example that public health especially children health were severally impacted by our old infrastructure which contains these toxic metals. Millions of people in the US are still live in the places with these contaminants and crisis like Flint water crisis could occur in other places of the US. An unmet need exists for technologies for personal exposure assessments at the point of contact. Current testing for metal ions is mostly performed in formal reference laboratories. Commercially available home-based water filter systems do not measure metal ions at an affordable price. We will develop a sensor for direct detection of two metal ions: mercury (Hg2+) and lead (Pb) in drinking water using lipid enhanced nanosensor (LENS) arrays for smart-phone based detection.
Project Terms: Accidents; Achievement; aptamer; Area; Award; base; Base Sequence; Binding; Biological; Calcium; Cellular Phone; Child health care; cloud based; commercial application; Complex; contaminated water; Copper; cost; cost effective; Cross-Over Studies; dashboard; Data; data acquisition; Databases; Detection; Development; Devices; drinking water; Drops; Elements; encryption; Environment; Event; Filtration; Fishes; Florida; Food; Food Contamination; Food Supply; Formulation; Foundations; Fresh Water; Future; General Population; Goals; Grant; handheld equipment; Health; Health care facility; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; Heavy Metals; Home environment; Individual; Industrialization; innovation; innovative technologies; interest; International; Ions; Knowledge; Laboratories; Lead; lead contamination; lead exposure; lead ion; Legal patent; Light; Lipids; Liquid substance; member; Mercury; Metals; Methods; Mission; Monitor; multiplex detection; nanosensors; Nanostructures; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Nature; Nose; Nucleic Acids; Optics; Outcome; Pattern; Phase; portability; Price; Printing; Privacy; Production; prototype; Public Health; Publications; Reagent; real world application; Reporting; repository; Research; Research Infrastructure; response; Route; Safety; Sampling; Security; sensor; Signal Transduction; Silver; Site; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Small Business Technology Transfer Research; Source; Specimen; success; Surface; System; technological innovation; Technology; Telemedicine; Testing; Time; toxic metal; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; user-friendly; Water; water quality; water sampling; Water Supply; water testing; Wireless Technology
