On Line, Near Real Time Water Security BioMonitoring System

Ciencia, Inc., proposes to develop an innovative biosensor system for near real time, online monitoring of water for the presence of pathogens and biotoxins. The proposed optical biosensing approach possesses a unique combination of features that makes it ideal for meeting the requirements of a water analysis system. Notably: (1) it does not require the use of labels for detection (such as fluorescent, enzymatic, or radioactive tags), which enables easy automation of immunoassays and direct real-time detection of analytes, and (2) it is microarray based, thus providing for highly parallel detection of multiple analytes, including viruses, bacteria, spores, and biotoxins, which is critical to cope successfully with the variety of potential threats. Ciencia anticipates that the system will provide continuous monitoring with a sampling period of less than 1 hour and with a detection limit for bacteria on the order of one organism per mL. Potential commercial applications include: environmental water testing and water supply security, biodefense and homeland defense, biomedical research, clinical diagnostics, agricultural bioterrorism, food safety testing, and environmental contamination and remediaton.