Emerging ocean contaminant sensing using antibody-based optical detection

Contaminants of emerging concern have been highlighted due to their detrimental impacts on targeted and non-targeted aquatic species. Emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, synthetic hormones, pesticides, and industrial chemicals find their way into freshwater streams, rivers and lakes and eventually make their way to the oceans. Along the way these dangerous chemicals impact the physiological processes of aquatic species, causing serious biological damage as they enter food-webs. The work described herein, involves the development of antibody-based in-situ monitoring systems for the detection of pharmaceutical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, which is a biologically active compound that exerts various effects on physiological and biochemical pathways in targeted and particularly non-targeted organisms when released negligently into watercourses.