Biosensors for healthy oceans

EnviGuard - Biosensor technology for environmental

monitoring and disease prevention in aquaculture.

Dr Ian Johnston

University of Hertfordshire, UK

European Commission, DG RTD,

Marine Resources Unit

EnviGuard - Development of biosensor technologies for environmental monitoring and disease prevention in aquaculture, ensuring food safety.

EnviGuard technology will significantly contribute to the achievement of Good Environmental Status of the EU's marine waters, providing a sustainable thriving maritime economy, one of the EU’s integrated maritime policy directives.

Shellfish Farms & Hatcheries

Offshore fish farms

The main outcome will be an early warning system for aquaculture enterprises and an environmental monitoring tool to assess the status of the sea.

Providing critical information of marine pathogens for health and food security, policy making and biosecurity.

Algal - A quantitative nucleic acid based detection sensor for relevant toxic algae in EU waters.

Chemical - An anti-body based optical nano-biosensing unit for the detection of chemicals & toxins.

Bacterial and Viral – An microfluidic aptamer-based fluorescence detection system to specifically detect pathogens.

EnviGuard’s integrated modular approach utilises 3 independent bio-sensing technologies in a single, durable device. Providing an easier, faster and cheaper way to measure harmful substances in-situ in real-time.

By combining innovations in nanotechnology and molecular science EnviGuard is developing the future state-of-the art in terms of accuracy, reliability and simplicity in operation. Putting European research and highly innovative SMEs at the forefront of rapidly developing markets.

Connected to one common interface; the EnviGuard Port, which provides the samples, pre-treatment, power, data processing and distribution.

3 independent biosensors:

Source: Fischerei und Aquakultur in Europa, Nr. 56 Juni 2012, European Union 2012 / modified.

Working prototype of the Algal bio-sensing system.

Working prototype of the Bacterial and Viral bio-sensor system.

Generation of a distributed protective network of multi-user and multi-sensor with remote www based data management for easy access for end users.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 614057.

Thank you.

Please visit us at:http://www.enviguard.net

Biosensors for healthy oceans

SenseOCEAN

Douglas P. Connelly

National Oceanography Centre

Session organiser:European Commission, DG RTD, Marine Resources Unit

To assess the status of the marine system we must develop methods to deal with the massive range of scales, not forgetting temporal as well as spatial.

Marine Ecosystem value =$19 T p.a = global GNP

Key challenges: Climate change, fisheries management, marine pollution and eutrophication

Pressing need to measure more often, and in more places.

Sensors must be.

Advanced, reliable and robust

Commercially viable

Address the challenge they are designed for

Nutrient analysis – Water quality and fisheriesCarbonate system – Climate changeOrganic analysis – fisheries, HAB, Pollutants

MSFD

Thank You

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement No 616141

Biogeochemical model of the ocean system

We have taken multiple analytical approaches:

Lab-on-chipOptode TechnologyMulti-parameter fluorescenceMicro electrodesElectrochemical cells

Sensor Development: Funding approaches

EC funding & National fundingCommercial fundingNational capability and equivalentFP7 projects Oceans of TomorrowH2020 In development, new calls in November

The story in the USCompany funded researchGovernment lab researchResearch community lead (NSF, DoE etc.)Hybrid (MBARI-HP partnership)

Biosensors for healthy oceans

Marinella Farré

IDAEA-CSIC

Session organized by European Commission, DG

RTD, Marine Resources Unit

The aim of the Sea-on-a-CHIP

To develop an immunosensor system with electrochemical transduction

• Miniaturized• Autonomous• Remote operation system

Based on nanotechnology, microelectronics and microfluidics to achieve the cost effective production and maintenance of each device, permitting the deployment of multiple devices at a very low cost.

The Sea-on-a-CHIP

internet

Each unit makes simultaneous analyses of eight contaminants

Monitoring station with Solar Power Panel

(SINK)

Rapid alarm system

Final users

BiotoxinsPOPs

EDCs

FISH SEWAGE

Versatile platform that can be adapted to different environmental situations requiring monitoring as:

AQUACULTURE OIL SPILLS BATHING WATERS

BEFORE TRANSLATION TO THE MARKET

A long-term test during DEMONSTRATION step is required. This will allow comparing the features of the system under real situations, different climes, and environments, showing their capabilities and comparing with other similar approaches

How does The Sea-on-a-CHIP address the EU policy objectives?

The Marine Directive aims to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of the EU's marine waters by 2020 and to protect the resource base upon which marine-related economic and social activities depend on.

The establishment of monitoring programmes and the development of a programme of measures designed to achieve or maintain GES

The Sea-on-a-Chip platform:

• Cost-effectiveness• “Continuous” unattended measurements• 8 measurements per unit• Type of contaminants to be measure

practically on demand• Sensitivity and robustness

The platform have been developed to attend the needs of:

• Related industries (aquaculture, fisheries, tourism)

• Local authorities• Large monitoring programs

Type of contaminants:

Legacy POPsBiotoxinsEmerging contaminants

How this is useful for Member States and citizens? How will it improve people's lives and the state of marine ecosystems?

Coastal waters generate 75% of the ecosystem service benefits for Europe’s

coastal zone estimated to have an equivalent value of €18 billion/annum.

0

2

4

0

5

10

15

Quantity (millions tons)

Income (millions dollars)

1984 201430 years

Aquaculture Rapid alarm system can provide the necessary information helping to:

• decision-making processes before or at initial step during contamination events such as toxic algal blooms,

• to manage industrial activities as aquaculture in a more efficient manner and

• to protect coastal activities, coastal industries and human health

Biosensors for healthy oceans“Intelligent” monitoring of water using biochemical-sensor methods for

detection of toxic chemical and biological compounds

SMS Project FP7-OCEAN-2013.1

Laura Micheli

Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche

University of Rome “Tor Vergata”

E-mail: laura.micheli@uniroma2.it

Session Organiser: European Commission, DG RTD, Marine Resources Unit

The proposed warning device is not yet ready to be introduced on market, because the project is still in progress. At this moment, the

prototypes of probes for determination of some of target biohazard and synthetic contaminants are testing in laboratory. These systems are

based on biosensor technology coupled with sampling and pre-concentration apparatus.

The construction of the proposed device can result important for application in particular areas, where pollution due to industrial activities

and natural events are present, and the cost of water treatment and control becomes significant. In this context, the biosensor technology,

applied in seawater monitoring, could provide an especially attractive solution with a substantial reduction of labour-intensive field

sampling and laboratory analysis regimes.

The goal of this project is to develop a warning system for the health of oceans or sea, located in several marine areas. This system is

characterized by a device, assembled on buoys, that will give information on the status of the water in real time through the use of a wireless

connection and remotely controlled processes. The expected outputs could be used to attain information on a single analyte (tributyltin,

diuron) or on a group of analytes (pentaBDPEs, sulphonamides and algal toxins with their algal species).

This tool is projected to elaborate the partial or total data collected by the station. The combination of a real time data collection concerning

the general status of the water (routine measurements) with the toxicity prototypes could lead to an early warning system that could

elucidate some phenomena not observed earlier and thus could lead to a better understanding of phenomena and improved seawater

management.

Today more than 700 emerging substances, their metabolites and transformation products are listed as present in the European

aquatic environment. With a warning “user-friendly device”, able to continuously measure various target biohazard (e.g.

algal biotoxins) and man-made chemical contaminates (e.g. synthetic compounds such as pesticides, antifoulants, flame-

retardants and other pollution by ships) directly in situ, it is possible to identify the main source of pollution, intervening to

block or to decrease the negative effects in a suitable manner.

To pinpoint and to clean up the sources of pollution, so that seawater does not pose a risk to bathers, fish and bird. It is the optimal

solution to the challenges required by EU

To avoid people to swim and get sick closing of beaches when contamination is detected or suspected

The use of warning automated device in buoys allows:

To answer to the increasing demand by citizens and environmental organizations for the protection, preservation and possible restoration

of the marine environment

To supporting to the EU Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research in the policy of the reconciliation between economic growth with

environmental sustainability in order to maintain the biodiversity and proving that oceans and seas are clean, healthy and productive

To improve the tourism, the maritime activities and economy

To help the health of coastal waters and improving the health of marine ecosystem

Some examples

The real time monitoring of the quality of seawater, using an automated networked system based on 4 sensor sub-modules,

answers to requirement of Water Framework Directive (WFD - Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament) in order

to improve the health of European citizen and the state of marine ecosystem.

The possibility to have a on-line warming device for water directly in ocean or seawater, in particular point of coast, allows

to avoid environmental, economic and social problems.

An example

Harmful Algal blooms (HABs) or red tides

presence in surface waters, rich of pollution used as nutrient

Production of potent biotoxin

with contamination of water People sick, death of fish and contamination of shellfish

Economic and environmental consequences

for both the tourism and the fishing industry

Need a warning on-line device located in buoys directly on sea:

rapid acquisition and real-time analysis of several water parameters and monitoring of several

contaminants in situ using a wireless connection and remotely controlled processes

The possibility to monitor the quality of water reduces economic impact of the red tides, with improving the costal tourism, with reducing the cost of fish industry,

and medical cost to aid stricken beachgoers. All these objectives can be obtained with low cost of analysis with high sensitivity.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

This project has received funding from the FP7 – OCEAN 2013 under

grant agreement N° FP7 KBBE 613844.

From 01-12-2013 to 31-08-2017, ongoing project