Team:Guelph/Demonstrate
Our project is intended to locally test various animal produce for tetracycline residue, specifically milk. Looking at companies in the industry such as Charm Science Inc. and PerkinElmer Inc., both have test kits for tetracycline and its analogs. However, the CharmScience kit requires a reader costing $5000.00 and PerkinElmer’s kit requires it to be stored while not in use at 2°C to 8°C, and if storage exceeds two months at -20°C. Similarly, most other test for tetracycline residue along with its analogs is either time consuming or expensive because the reader for the test is expensive. As described in our description and design, iGEM Guelph intended to create a biosensor that can detect tetracycline in animal products and produce a visible colour change. In the spirit of open access and being environmentally aware, we wanted to create a biosensor that is a cheap, convenient, and accurate test in order to detect tetracycline residues in animal products.
The proposed system is a two-chambered test device called the VioSensor. Our VioSensor is designed to detect tetracycline at and above the Canadian government’s regulatory limit for cattle milk at 100 ng/mL. It is made from PLA plastic filament which is an environmentally friendly filament that is fully compostable. PLA breaks down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass at the same rate as paper. It fully disintegrates in a compost pile with no toxic residue and supports plant growth as well.1 PLA stands for polylactic acid and makes an excellent substitution to conventional plastics that take centuries to degrade. 2
The VioSensor comes in two separate components: the sample container and the reaction compartment. The sample container is a 5 cm box (with further dimensions described below) with a hinged lid to provide a sealed environment for the biological reactions. The lid’s design includes a small protrusion that is forced into the container to ensure that there is no gap between the internal and external environment. The sample container component of the VioSensor can be 3D printed at home using the PLA filament. However, the reaction compartment must be shipped.
The reaction compartment is a transparent container that is prepackaged and would come with 0.5 g of our lyophilized bacteria that can sense and respond to tetracycline. This compartment is sealed with a thin plastic covering which will be broken when the sample container is attached. The sample container has a small sharp edge at the bottom that pierces the film. The sample container and the reaction compartment are connected using small integrated clips to provide a flush seal to safely contain the bacteria and the reaction that will take place. Our reaction compartment’s design comes from that of a cuvette. This is providing the user with the ability to further test their sample using an optical density reader if required.
Overall the plastic components weighs approximately ten grams and together have a height of approximately ten centimeters making it easy to store and convenient to use for testing. The overall cost of the test is The VioSensor will have a shelf life of six to twelve months, based on shelf lives of similar devices. Conducting an elementary cost analysis shows that the device itself costs $0.02 to 3D print and the complete lyophilization process from labor to the lyophilization itself costs $1.07, meaning the total cost to produce an individual functioning device is approximately $1.10.
*Note: This is a theoretical design and has not been implemented in "real life" outside of the lab.
Demonstrate
The VioSensor
1. Guide to Green 3D Printing - 4 Ways to be More Sustainable! . Pinshape 3D Printing Blog | Tutorials, Contests & Downloads (2016). Available at: https://pinshape.com/blog/guide-green-3d-printing/. (Accessed: 19th October 2019)
2. Eco Food Packaging Materials. Available at: https://shop.biogreengate.com/materials_a/252.htm. (Accessed: 20th October 2019)
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