Biosensors for the Detection of Cyanotoxins in Lake Water and Clinical Samples

Session: Watershed and Lake Science Informing Management (2)

Paul Bertani, The Ohio State Unversity, [email protected]
Seungjun Lee, The Ohio State University, [email protected]
Hao Yang, The Ohio State Unversity, [email protected]
Jiyoung Lee, The Ohio State University, [email protected]
Wu Lu, The Ohio State Unversity, [email protected]

Abstract

Conventionally, methodologies such as ELISA, PCR, and MC-LS are used to determine the presence and amount of cyanotoxins produced by harmful algae blooms (HABs).  These toxins include: anatoxin-a, saxitoxin, cylindrospermopsin, and microcystin.  ELISA being the gold standard, is very effective, but both it and other laboratory technologies can be costly, time consuming, and possess a limited dynamic range.  Using conventional semiconductor technologies, we demonstrate a "Lab on a Chip" style biosensor to allow for faster and simpler cyanotoxin detection in liquid samples.  Each biosensor is fabricated on an AlGaN/GaN (Aluminum Galium Nitride/Galium Nitride) platform in the form of a centimeter-scale chip (~2 cm x 2 cm).  While the sensor architecture remains constant, each chip can be modified to sense any of the aforementioned toxins in a variety of media.  These biosensors operate by utilizing the field affect, which means target toxins deflect or attracts charge flowing through the sensor. This modulation of charge results in a change in electrical current (denoted as ?I_ds), which allows for the detection and quantification of a desired cyanotoxin.  In this work, we demonstrate our biosensors capability of sense cyanotoxins in water samples as well as detection in physiological solutions (e.g. serum) for clinical applications.