New bioanalytical tools and devices: chemistry leads the way

Three University of Alberta chemists are developing innovative and imaginative bioanalytical techniques aimed at tackling the burden and suffering caused by infectious diseases in the developing world.

Robert E. Campbell - 14 December 2012

University of Alberta chemists Julianne Gibbs-Davis, Ratmir Derda and Michael Serpe are developing innovative and imaginative bioanalytical techniques aimed at tackling the burden and suffering caused by infectious diseases in the developing world.

Bioanalytical chemists are accustomed to having a plethora of convenient consumables and sophisticated instrumentation at their disposal. In the absence of this infrastructure it is hard to imagine how one might be able to achieve the primary goals of bioanalytical chemistry - the detection of small molecules or macromolecules in biological systems. Unfortunately, many researchers in resource-limited developing countries, or field workers in remote locations far from modern conveniences, are unable to take advantage of modern bioanalytical techniques due to a lack of infrastructure. Compounding the misfortune of this situation is that these same researchers are those who have the greatest need for rapid and accurate bioanalytical detection methods, typically to diagnose diseases such as tuberculosis or malaria, which are a disproportionate burden on the developing world.

For more on these new techniques, read the full article at Laboratory Focus.