Optical multiple-analyte immunosensor for water pollution control.

A prototype of a portable optical immunosensor (called river analyser) has been developed. It can be applied for the monitoring of surface water quality. Antibodies carrying a fluorescent label are used for the specific recognition of pollutants, such as frequently applied pesticides. The transduction principle is based on total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF). The outstanding advantage of the river analyser is, that at least three analytes can be detected simultaneously in one sample. Test cycles and fluid handling are automated and enable unattended measuring.