ELECTROCHEMICAL ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY TO STUDY ALTERNATIVE DRINKING WATER TREATMENT

ALTERNATIVES TO CHLORINE DISINFECTION IN DRINKING WATER TREATMENT ARE BEING INVESTIGATED. BOTH CURRENT AND NEW METHODS OF DISINFECTION MAY CAUSE REACTIONS WITH ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN THE WATER AND LEAD TO DANGEROUS BY-PRODUCTS. THERE IS A NEED FOR MEASUREMENT DEVICES THAT PROVIDE ON-SITE, REALTIME MEASUREMENT OF BY-PRODUCTS TO ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATE WATER TREATMENT METHODS. FOR THIS PURPOSE, THE RESEARCHERS PROPOSE TO EVALUATE AND DEVELOP A NEW BIOSENSOR DESIGN THAT COMBINES ADVANTAGES OF IMMUNOASSAY AND ELECTROCHEMICAL RESPONSE. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I WORK IS TO PROVE THE PRINCIPAL OF ELECTROCHEMICAL ENZYME IMMUNOSENSOR TO DETECT ORGANIC BY PRODUCT FORMATION IN WATER. THE PROPOSED BIOSENSOR THE PROPOSED BIOSENSOR CONSISTS OF THREE MAJOR ELEMENTS; AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTING LAYER HAVING IMMOBILIZED ENZYME, A GEL LAYER CONTAINING POLYCLONAL OR MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY AND OTHER NECESSARY REAGENTS, AND THE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS USED IN THE READOUT OF THE SIGNAL. THE EXPECTED RESULT IS ANIMMUNOELECTRODE FOR MEASURING ORGANICS IN WATER, BASED ON THE PRINCIPAL OF COUPLING THE IMMUNOCHEMICAL REACTION TO THE ELECTRODE RESPONSE USING AN ELECTROCHEMICALLY ACTIVE MEDIATOR. THREE RESEARCHERS WHO SUBMITTED THIS PROPOSAL HAVE COLLABORATED SUCCESSFULLY TO DEVELOP PROTOTYPE ENZYME- BASED BIOSENSOR TECHNOLOGY WHICH WILL BE A CRUCIAL COMPONENTFOR THE RESEARCH AND DEVELPMENT DESCRIBED IN THIS PROPOSAL. PRACTICAL ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS THAT EMPLOY IMMUNOCHEMICALDETECTION WILL HAVE BROAD COMMERCIAL VIABILITY FOR APPLICATIONS IN THE FIELDS OF CLINICAL CHEMISTRY, VETERINARYMEDICINE, AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, AND POLLUTION CONTROL.