Australia’s drinking water is heading under the microscope through a major project led by Murdoch University.

Professor Una Ryan from Murdoch University will lead the development of a fast, reliable test, enabled by their gut-on-a-chip technology, for three major pathogens found in untreated Australian water supplies – Cryptosporidium, adenovirus and norovirus.

These three pathogens are among the major causes of gastroenteritis in Australia, which is estimated to cost Australia more than AUD$1 billion annually.

“Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus represent the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations,” Professor Ryan said.

 “However to date, risk assessment in Australia has been limited by the lack of reliable detection and viability assays for these pathogens.”

Gut-on-a-chip technology

Working in collaboration with SA Water, Seqwater, WaterNSW and Melbourne Water, Professor Ryan’s team will investigate the potential for the gut-on-a-chip technology to facilitate improved risk assessment.

“Our team has developed a miniaturised computer-controlled gut-on-a-chip, which provides a continuous flow of nutrients and oxygen at a constant concentration precisely determined by a computer, creating a miniature 3D gut-like environment,” Professor Ryan said.

Professor Ryan said one of the major obstacles in developing a vaccine or improving treatment for Cryptosporidium was the lack of commercial supplies of the pathogen for research.

Growing gastro in the lab

“For the first time, the gut-on-a-chip will generate a commercial supply of oocysts (eggs) for Cryptosporidium hominis, which is the main species that infects humans,” Professor Ryan said.

“The gut-on-a-chip only needs a drop of fluid to test and so we will be able to run multiple chips simultaneously to find the best conditions for culturing these pathogens in the laboratory.

“This technology will lead to improved diagnostics and water disinfection assays, a commercial supply of Cryptosporidium for water utilities globally, improved risk management, and reduced costs.”

Dr Mark O’Dea from Murdoch University, Dr Paul Monis and Dr Brendon King from SA Water, Professor Benjamin Thierry from the University of South Australia and Associate Professor Jillian Carr at Flinders University are key collaborators on the project with Professor Ryan.

The research has been funded through an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant over the next three years.