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BIOTOXMARIN - Development of novel analytic tools for the detection of marine biotoxins
Project
Project code: 513967
Contract period: 01.01.2005
- 31.12.2007
Budget: 1,330,000 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
The contamination of seafood with algal toxins can cause severe neuronal and gastrointestinal disorders but also allergies in human. Sporadic outbreaks of poisoning by ingestion of shellfish which have accumulated marine biotoxins have become a world-wid e problem. The economic consequences caused by the production of marine biotoxins during algal blooms in the coastal regions are enormous. In this project, fast, simple and cost-effective detection methods for marine biotoxins in seafood as well as patie nt sera will be developed, based on the application of high-affinity capture antibodies and novel artificial receptor mimics against the toxins. The applicants already succeeded in raising antibodies against okadaic acid, a diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxin. This promising strategy will now be extended to other groups of relevant toxins causing paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP) or amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). The new tools for the detection (and qua ntification) of marine biotoxins developed in the proposed project are based on the application of the new Polymer Instruction technology and the highly sensitive Integrated Optical Grating Coupler (IOGC) biosensor technology, and the use of high-affinit y antibodies for sensitive ELISA und Western blotting techniques based on an infrared-fluorescence imaging system. User-friendly chip (POCT Chip, dip-stick/card test) assay methods as well as new bioassays based on interaction of okadaic acid with phosph oprotein phosphatase 2A (colorimetric microtitre-plate based PP2A inhibition assay) or the activation/phosphorylation of MAP kinase p38 will be developed. The developed technologies will be compared with existing techniques for evidence of improved effic iency and accuracy. Prototype kits will be manufactured by the companies.
Section overview
Subjects
- Food Chemistry
- Food microbiology
- Toxicology
