Airborne Fungi can be detected in real-time

Team led by Prof. Byung Yang Lee develops system for monitoring of airborne fungal particles

Expected to enhance indoor air quality monitoring

New system detects two kinds of fungal species in 10 minutes

▲ Prof. Byung Yang Lee (left) of the School of Mechanical Engineering; Junhyup Kim (right), MS in mechanical engineering from Korea University 

A local research team succeeded in developing a system for real-time monitoring of airborne fungal particles. 

The team led by Professor Byung Yang Lee from the School of Mechanical Engineering, developed fungi sensors by integrating carbon nanotubes with receptors that bind to fungi. For receptor lifetime enhancement, the sensor device was set up to operate at a lower working temperature. The carbon nanotubes detect the binding activity of the receptors when fungal particles reach the carbon nanotube sensors after air-to-liquid sampling. 

* Carbon nanotube: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are materials comprised of carbon atoms with a cylindrical nanostructure. CNTs have unusual properties that are valuable in various fields including nanotechnology, electronics, and optics.

* Receptor: A receptor is a molecule that can be seen on the surface of a cell and receives signals from outside the cell. The receptor binds to an external material to cause cellular response or is used to fix the cell in place. 

Previously, three to five days were spent on the sampling of airborne fungi and the decoding of fungal genes. This process requires expensive decoding equipment and highly-trained professionals. On the other hand, the proposed device can be easily used by the average researcher and is able to detect the type and concentration of airborne fungi in 10 pg/ml units. The results can be accessed via a computer or wireless device. 

The team developed the system in order to detect two kinds of fungal species, Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata, which are related to common allergenic and pulmonary diseases. The system maintains the same level of accuracy as existing techniques while enabling real-time monitoring. If applied to commercial products, it is expected to play a significant role in preventing asthma and allergenic diseases. Moreover, the sensor can be conveniently reset by washing and can be used repeatedly. 

The study was supported by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, and published on April 12 in the online version of Environmental Science and Technology, a renowned international journal in the field of environmental science. 

* Title: Fully Automated Field-Deployable Bioaerosol Monitoring System

Junhyup Kim, who earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Korea University, participated as the first author, while Professor Byung Yang Lee served as the corresponding author. 

Professor Lee said, “We plan to further develop the device in order to detect more types of pathogenic bacteria and to adhere to international standards. It can be integrated into indoor air quality monitoring equipment in order to detect airborne virulence factors.” 

Description of Figures:

▲ Schematic diagram of selective binding of receptors to sampled fungal particles 

▲ Detection of fungal particles through electrical response between carbon nanotubes and nano-device