UMaine Researchers Begin Development of Red Tide Detection Device

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

January 4, 2006 Archives

Contact: David Munson (207) 581-3777; Laurie Connell 581-2470

Facial numbness, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, dizziness — and those are the milder symptoms.

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, or PSP, is a very real danger in the state of Maine. Resulting from the consumption of shellfish tainted with toxins found in the algae that cause red tide, PSP has become a growing concern in recent years due to dramatic increases in the extent and frequency of red tide blooms in Maine’s coastal waters.

While the state has an extensive monitoring program for detecting the presence of the various species of algae responsible for red tide, current testing procedures are costly and time consuming. Utilizing breakthrough techniques in molecular biology and sensor technology, UMaine marine scientist Laurie Connell and researcher Rosemary Smith of UMaine’s Laboratory for Surface Science Technology are teaming up to develop a faster, more efficient device that can detect PSP-causing algae in the field.

Backed by nearly $400,000 in funding provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms Program, the project’s primary goal is to develop a small testing device that is based on a direct detection mechanism rather than enzymes or biological materials that need to be frequently replaced. The hand-held device will use a DNA-like molecule that binds to the genetic material of the organisms present in the sample. Light reflected from the bound molecules would then be measured to reveal the identity of the organisms present in the sample.

The rapid detection device will have the ability to provide on-site results nearly instantaneously at low cost, and could also be deployed on buoys to create red tide detection arrays in critical areas.

In serious cases, PSP can lead to muscle paralysis and respiratory failure. Connell and Smith’s work will assist water quality managers in preventing future poisonings in Maine and around the world.