Portable system for early detection of harmful algal bloom toxins

Session: Smart Lakes: Real-Time Monitoring, Networking, and Analytics Across the Great Lakes (1)

Sarah Bickman, MBio Diagnostics, [email protected]
Michael Lochhead, MBio Diagnostics, [email protected]
Isabella Vinsonhaler, MBio Diagnostics, [email protected]

Abstract

Harmful Algal Blooms in freshwater and marine environments are increasing in frequency and duration and constitute a growing public health threat while carrying substantial economic, ecologic, and food supply implications. Recent development of guidelines for microcystin (MC) and cylindrospermopsin (CYN) in drinking water has increased the need for rapid onsite testing.  MBio Diagnostics is developing a transformative platform technology that will enable users in the field to perform laboratory-quality, cost-effective cyanotoxin testing that will help protect drinking water, and provide critical data for ecosystems management.  MBio’s patent-protected cartridge and reader system provide an unprecedented combination of speed, ease-of-use, quantitation and results multiplexing in a field-portable system.  Here, we present results from a one-step, 10-minute duplex assay for microcystin and cylindrospermopsin.  With this simple and rapid protocol, 50% inhibition concentrations for both assays are 1 ng/mL.  Eleven common MC congeners were measured with cross-reactivities similar to reference tests measured simultaneously.  Over 40 natural lake water samples were measured on the MBio assay in comparison to reference testing.  Concordance between these methods demonstrates that the MBio assay is not affected by common interferents found in natural water samples.  A one-step, 10-minute mechanical cell lysis method enables a fully integrated, field-portable kit.