SynAb4Toxin · Synthetic antibody (SynAb) receptors for the detection and isolation of cyclic depsipeptide (CDP) toxins in food samples
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-04-01 → 2025-03-31
- EU contribution
- €175,920
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
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Results in brief
Synthetic antibody (SynAb) receptors for the detection and isolation of cyclic depsipeptide (CDP) toxins in food samples
Food safety remains a growing concern across Europe and globally, with foodborne toxins posing significant risks to public health. Among these, cyclic depsipeptide (CDP) toxins such as beauvericin (BEA), enniatin B (ENN B), and cereulide (CER) are particularly problematic due to their potent bioactivity and occurrence in various food products. Detection of these toxins is complicated by their low concentration in complex matrices, and current methods rely heavily on antibody-based assays, which present limitations in terms of stability, cost, and adaptability. This project introduced the SynAb (Synthetic Antibody) technology—a synthetic receptor platform aimed at replacing traditional antibodies in detection systems. The objectives of the project were to design and synthesise modular receptors tailored for BEA, ENN B, and CER, to integrate these receptors into solid-phase extraction (SPE) materials, and to translate this into analytical tools such as ELISA and lateral flow assays (LFA). The expected impact of the project lies in the development of robust, scalable receptor-based sensing platforms that can be deployed for food quality control, addressing both health and regulatory challenges. By reducing dependence on biologics and improving the robustness of detection tools, SynAb opens new possibilities for analytical chemistry and the food safety industry.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Food safety plays a critical role in society. When it comes to avoiding food poisoning, most of the attention goes to preventing microbial growth in food products. However, the cause of intoxication is the presence of toxins produced by these microorganisms. Yet, standard industrial or household food processing and preparation techniques effective at removing the producing microorganisms fail to remove the actual toxins. As a result, these toxins, which typically are not detected in routine microbial food analysis, are consumed daily by the general population. Beauvericin (BEA) and enniatin B (ENN B) are mycotoxins produced on crops that can easily end up in the final food or feed products. Other examples include cereulide (CER), which is produced by bacteria and has a high prevalence in ready-to-eat foods. Multiple consequences and even fatalities have been reported due to the consumption of food contaminated with BEA/ENN or CER and as such, the detection and sequestration of these toxins is of utmost importance, both in public health and economic terms, as well as from a broader stakeholder perspective.Despite numerous attempts worldwide, the current state of the art does not allow the production of antibodies against CER, BEA or ENN B via classical animal immunization. This hampers the creation of a fast, robust, inexpensive and on-field (kit-based) detection system for these toxins in food commodities. In the current project, I intend to use artificial synthetic antibodies (SynAbs) that bind to these toxins (ionophoric cyclic depsipeptides) to produce valuable technologies for detecting and isolating these toxins in complex food samples.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITEIT GENT · GentCoordinatorBelgium
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101111255
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e50371191a&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e51aaed8cf&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union