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Biosensor will help to determine water quality
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Diarrhea is a common cause of death in children under five. According to the World Health Organization, stomach upset kills about 1.5 million children worldwide each year.
That's why a team of students from Arizona State University is developing an inexpensive biosensor—a device that could monitor the quality of drinking water.
The idea for the device came from Madeline Sands, a researcher at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
She told the students about a trip to Guatemala where she took samples of drinking water for analysis. Polluted water is a very serious problem in developing countries.
"With frequent landslides, earthquakes and rain, it is impossible to determine which water source is clean and which is teeming with bacteria," says Madeline Sands. "One thing is clear - in the conditions in which the population of Guatemala and others live, biosensors are simply a necessary thing that will save not one dozen, but even hundreds of people's lives."
In 2012, a group of nine students entered the International Synthetic Biology Engineering Competition. This competition challenges students to design and develop simple devices from interchangeable parts.
The students spent the summer preparing their invention. They worked on creating an easy-to-use biosensor that can detect pathogenic microorganisms.
“We are developing a device that can detect disease-causing bacteria such as salmonella, shigella, and E. coli. All of these bacteria are known to cause diarrhea,” says Ryan Mueller, a co-author of the study. “Ideally, our biosensors are intended for people in third-world countries. The device will help determine whether the water is safe and does not pose a health risk.”
The team is working on creating two types of biosensors. One of them is based on the DNA principle – such a biosensor will allow identifying organic molecules that are important for living organisms: high-molecular ones, such as proteins, DNA, and low-molecular ones, such as glucose and urea.
The students will make the second biosensor portable for detecting viruses in public places and in the field. If the device detects bacteria in water, it immediately colors the water blue, signaling danger and that such water should not be drunk.