Research Projects

Pharmaceuticals and chemicals leach into the environment, causing environmental issues. Detecting these pollutants is time-consuming and tedious. Aptasensors are a reliable technology for analyzing the immediate response of pharmaceutical residues. They can be used in risk assessment studies and exposure studies for humans. Electrochemical aptasensors have potential for rapid detection, cost-effectiveness, quick multi-analyte studies, easy miniaturization, robustness, compatibility with microfabrication techniques, and real-time detection. This study aims to identify and screen aptamers for target analytes, synthesize nanomaterials, conduct characterization studies, and perform reusability studies for the electrochemical aptasensor platform.

Environmental and animal forensics are gaining popularity due to the use of aptasensors in wildlife investigations. Forensics plays a crucial role in detecting animal and environmental crimes, including crimes committed by people. Aptasensors have been developed for detecting targets related to water quality, including bacteria, bacterial toxins, heavy metals, aquatic toxins, pesticides, industrial byproducts, antibiotics, and pharmaceuticals. They have also been used to detect low molecular weight pollutants in environmental or food samples, such as toxins, hormones, drugs, and pesticides. Aptasensors play a crucial role in the specific molecular identification of pesticides and microbial toxins.