For centuries, animals have been our first line of defense against toxins.
A canary in a coalmine served as a living monitor for poisonous gases. Scientists
used fish to test for contaminants in our water. Even with modern advances,
though, it can take days to detect a fatal chemical or organism.
Until now. Working in the miniaturized world of nanotechnology, Tel
Aviv University researchers have made an enormous ? and humane ? leap forward
in the detection of pollutants.A team led by Prof. Yosi Shacham-Diamand, vice-dean
of TAU's Faculty of Engineering, has developed a nano-sized laboratory, complete
with a microscopic workbench, to measure water quality in real time. Their "lab
on a chip" is a breakthrough in the effort to keep water safe from pollution
and bioterrorist threats, pairing biology with the cutting-edge capabilities
of nanotechnology.
"We've developed a platform -- essentially a micro-sized,
quarter-inch square 'lab' -- employing genetically engineered bacteria
that light up when presented with a stressor in water," says Prof. Shacham-Diamand.
Equipment on the little chip can work to help detect very tiny light levels
produced by the bacteria.Instead of using animals to help detect threats to
a water supply, Prof. Shacham-Diamand says "Our system is based on a plastic
chip that is more humane, much faster, more sensitive and much cheaper."
Tiny Lab-on-Chip Boosts Accuracy
"Basically, ours is an innovative advance in the ‘lab
on a chip' system," says Prof. Shacham-Diamand. "It's
an ingenious nano-scale platform designed to get information out of biological
events. Our solution can monitor water with never-before-achieved levels of
accuracy. But as a platform, it can also be used for unlimited purposes, such
as investigating stem cell therapies or treating cancer."According to
published literature, Tel Aviv University is one of the top five universities
in the world pioneering the "lab on a chip" concept. The nanolabs
can be used to evaluate several biological processes with practical applications,
such as microbes in water, stem cells, or breast cancer development. Prof. Shacham-Diamand's
active lab group publishes a major paper about once a month in this field, most
recently in the journal Nano Letters.
Environmental, Medical and Defense Uses for "Mini-Labs" Partnering
with other Israeli scientists, Tel Aviv University is currently building and
commercializing its water-testing mini-labs to measure and monitor how genetically
engineered bacteria respond to pollution such as E. coli in water. Cities across
Israel have expressed interest in the technology, as has the state of Hawaii.But
other uses are being explored as well. Funded by a $3 million grant from the
United States Department of Defense Projects Agency (DARPA), the new lab-on-a-chip
could become a defensive weapon that protects America from biological warfare.
His system, Prof. Shacham-Diamand says, can be also modified to react to chemical
threats and pollution. With some tweaking here and there, it can be updated
as new threats are detected. Prof. Shacham-Diamond's research has also
attracted the interest of cancer researchers around the world.
He recently addressed 400 physicians at a World Cancer Conference who are seeking
new devices to measure and monitor cancer and pharmaceuticals. "They need
sensors like Tel Aviv University's lab on a chip. It's a hot topic
now," says Prof. Shacham-Diamond. American Friends of Tel Aviv University
(www.aftau.org) supports Israel's leading and most comprehensive center
of higher learning. In independent rankings, TAU's innovations and discoveries
are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 20 other
universities worldwide.Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking
nature of its research programs, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work
with profound implications for the future.
Posted February 27th, 2009
