Laurie Gengenbach, 336-334-4314 ([email protected])
Dr. Vince Henrich, 336-256-0080 ([email protected])
GREENSBORO, NC--Researchers at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro are working on an early detection system for bioterrorist attacks on public water supplies through a $500,000 federal grant.
Collaborating on the project is a three-member team, including Dr. Vince Henrich, a geneticist; Dr. Neal Stewart, a molecular biologist and bioterrorism expert, and Dr. Parke Rublee a water quality expert who developed the system now used world-wide to detect the toxic fish-killing algae, pfisteria. UNCG initiated the study last year.
A prototype capable of detecting certain pathogens in water could be developed by spring, but a usable system that could be applied to detect a broader range of pathogens likely to be used by bioterrorists could still be years off. Salmonella, E. coli, botulism and anthrax are some of the bioterrorist pathogens the research is targeting.
"The recent anthrax attacks have proven that bioterrorist attacks are a reality we must prepare for," said Stewart. "While the system we are developing cannot prevent an attack, it could prevent such an occurrence from causing harm to humans."
The project could have wider applications than just monitoring for bioterrorism, Henrich said. "There is also the possibility that the same system might be developed for the purpose of assessing water quality on an everyday basis in the future," he said. "It could turn out to be one more example of a military imperative spurring development of a technology with larger civilian applications."
The project is one of the first made possible by UNCG's recent investment in the Gene Microarrays Application Project (GMAP), a state-of-the-art technology which enables scientists to quickly zero in on genes which produce the traits they are seeking.
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