Environmental Applications of the NRL Flow Immunosensor

摘要

An antibody-based biosensor developed at the naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is being tested at several United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) remediation sites to examine the utility of the technology for monitoring explosives levels in groundwater and soil. Using antibodies as the recognition element and fluorescently labeled explosive analogs as reporters of binding events, the biosensor can detect contamination at the sub-parts per billion level in under two minutes. A portable version of the device, known as the FAST 2000, has been engineered by Research International, Woodinville, WA, for convenient use in rapid on-site evaluation and characterization of contaminated areas. Alternatively, the device can be used to follow cleanup progress on a routine basis or to monitor air samples for the presence of explosives or other small-molecular-weight contaminants.