{"id":54522,"date":"2019-04-12T03:01:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T07:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utnews.utoledo.edu\/?p=54522"},"modified":"2019-04-10T16:40:06","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T20:40:06","slug":"utoledo-develops-precise-method-to-test-for-exposure-to-toxic-algae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/04_12_2019\/utoledo-develops-precise-method-to-test-for-exposure-to-toxic-algae","title":{"rendered":"UToledo develops precise method to test for exposure to toxic algae"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers at The University of Toledo have developed a highly accurate method to test for microcystin in blood or urine samples, an advancement that could provide clinicians a powerful new tool in assessing a patient\u2019s exposure to the dangerous toxin.<\/p>\n

The discovery is a continuation of the work UToledo has done around harmful algal blooms since the 2014 Toledo water crisis that temporarily left the city without drinkable water. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. David Kennedy, left, and Dr. Dragan Isailovic have developed a test for microcystin in blood or urine samples that could prove to be a powerful new tool to assess a patient\u2019s exposure to the toxin.<\/p><\/div>\u201cWe don\u2019t want to just be known as the people who turned off the tap, we want to be known as the people who come up with the solutions,\u201d said Dr. David Kennedy, assistant professor of medicine in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, and one of the researchers involved in the project. \u201cWe\u2019re leading in that area, and the way we\u2019re leading isn\u2019t just going to help northwest Ohio \u2014 it\u2019s going to help the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy\u2019s lab collaborated with Dr. Dragan Isailovic, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Dr. Steven Haller, assistant professor of medicine, to develop and test the method. The research was funded from grants awarded from the Ohio Department of Higher Education\u2019s Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative. <\/p>\n

UToledo\u2019s microcystin test combines a method for separating the toxic compounds out of blood or urine samples by liquid chromatography with further examination using mass spectrometry. <\/p>\n

The test can identify various microcystins and quantify concentrations of six common microcystins, including the types most often found in Lake Erie.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we have created a reliable tool that hasn\u2019t existed before. From a clinician\u2019s point of view, you can\u2019t underestimate the importance of having certitude in your diagnosis. We\u2019re helping to provide new diagnostic methods for clinicians to rule in or rule out exposure to microcystin,\u201d Haller said. <\/p>\n

Most other attempts at testing blood or urine samples for microcystin have relied on the ELISA test, which is the standard method for quantifying microcystins in water but isn\u2019t as effective in biological samples. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur method is very sensitive and reproducible for identification and quantification of microcystins in biological fluids,\u201d Isailovic said. \u201cIt would be difficult to do this with the same sensitivity and specificity using any other method.\u201d<\/p>\n

The findings were published in the Journal of Chromatography A. Other UToledo contributors on the paper were Dr. Dilrukshika S.W. Palagama, David Baliu-Rodriguez, Apurva Lad and Dr. Bruce S. Levison. A provisional patent on the testing method has been filed.<\/p>\n

The researchers are exploring opportunities to use the lab\u2019s technology to offer testing of samples to outside entities. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. David Kennedy and Dr. Dragan Isailovic have developed a test for microcystin in blood or urine samples that could prove to be a powerful new tool to assess a patient\u2019s exposure to the toxin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":849,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,39,1,3,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/849"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54522"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54653,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54522\/revisions\/54653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}