Abstract

Detection of Waterborne Viruses using Nano-Biomimetic Affinity Systems

Ibtisam Tothill, Professor, Cranfield University

Millions of people accross the world lack access to safe drinking water which accounts for about 13% of the global population resulting in fatalities due to waterborne diseases. Therefore, increasing access to safe, sanitary drinking water can significantly reduce deaths and enhance global public health. It is known that current water purification methods are not always effective at completely removing pathogenic viruses. Common disinfection techniques used for water purification include, chemical oxidants (chlorination), UV irradiation and thermal treatment, but the susceptibility of many waterborne viruses to inactivation is relatively unknown due to the inability to culture these viruses. Also viruses are very small, highly resistant to acidic conditions, high temperatures, disinfectants and pressure; hence, novel technologies are required to be developed for their detection and removal [1].

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) nanoparticles were synthesised in this work against the bacteriophage MS2 (a surrogate for waterborne viruses), and adenovirus. MIPs are more resistant to chemical and biological damage and inactivation than antibodies and therefore can complement antibodies where stability is paramount in specific applications such as water purification systems. The MIP-nanoparticles were produced using solid-phase synthesis and then attached to an SPR sensor and used for viruses detection and also removal [2]. The work was compare to antibody use as the affinity binding materials [3].

[1] Altintas, Z., Gittens, M. and Tothill, I E. (2015). Biosensors for waterborne viruses: Detection and removal, Biochimie, 155, 144-154. [2] Altintas, Z., Gittens, M., Guerreiro, A., Thompson, K-A., Walker, J., Piletsky, S.A and Tothill, I E (2015). Detection of Waterborne Viruses Using High Affinity Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, Anal. Chem., 87, 6801-6807. [3] Altintas, Z., Pocock J., Thompson, K-A. and Tothill, I E (2015). Comparative Investigations for Adenovirus Recognition and Quantification: Plastic or Natural Antibodies? Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 74, 996-1004.