Summary
There is a need for the development of autonomous
platforms for monitoring a wide range of chemical and biological targets
in the oceans. Such platforms should be able to telemeter information
to shore-based monitoring stations in near real time. The goal of our
work is to develop an Autonomous Microbial Genosensor (AMG) to detect
specific microbial targets in coastal or oceanic waters. Our instrumentation
is based upon Nucleic Acid Sequence Based Amplification (NASBA) of microbial
RNA targets and fluorescence detection using molecular beacons. We have
successfully developed hand-held instruments for microbial target detection
using this technology and we are now employing it to the greater challenge
of an autonomous sensor. Our initial target is the Florida Red tide organism,
Karenia brevis.
Our current prototype collects water samples, filters cells and extracts
RNA, and performs amplification autonomously. Our prospective
second generation AMG will incorporate microfluidic liquid processing,
array technology, and intensified light detection to improve the design
and function of platforms capable of detecting a range of target organisms.
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