Team:HKIS
Context: Vibrio
Across the world, Vibrio pathogens are becoming increasingly prevalent in seafood, specifically bivalves and oysters. In fact, there are more than 80,000 people being infected by Vibrio-related bacterium annually, and the deaths caused by this pathogen amount to more than 95% of all seafood-related deaths.
Problem: Cost
Unfortunately, as all current methods of Vibrio detection rely on the use of expensive thermocycling machines, there is no cheap, quick, and effective method to determine if oysters are clean. Additionally, there are no oyster contamination purification methods capable of killing pathogens without killing the oysters in the process.
Solution: Point-of-care Detection – Vib-check
Our team’s solution for the lack of viable detection methods is a Vibrio detection kit that relies on a novel isothermal amplification method in conjunction with the highly specific enzyme CRISPR Cas12a for the rapid and accurate detection of minuscule Vibrio DNA signals.
Solution: Antimicrobial Peptide Purification
Besides detection, another large part of the issue with Vibrio contamination in oysters is the lack of sufficient purification methods. Our solution is using algae – natural oyster feed used in aquacultures to feed oysters – to express highly effective anti-Vibrio antimicrobial peptides for eliminating Vibrio contamination in fresh samples, or contamination remaining from current purification methods.
