HAB detection

Sandia National Laboratories researchers Todd Lane and Victoria VanderNoot have been awarded a research grant to develop a technology that can successfully detect deadly toxins from harmful algal blooms (HABs).

The funding has been provided by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), a partnership of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of New Hampshire.

Lane and VanderNoot, a molecular biologist and an analytical chemist, respectively, are both in the Biosystems Research department at Sandia's Livermore, California, site. In addressing the HAB problem, they will employ laser-induced fluorescence and other separation methods inherent in Sandia's µChemLab (Micro ChemLab) technology. Along with a small team of Sandia colleagues and external collaborators, they have commenced with the research, which could lead to longer-term funding after the initial "proof of principle" work has been completed.