Implanted Nanosensors in Marine Organisms for Physiological Biologging: Design, Feasibility, and Species Variability

• Published in: ACS Sensors
• Main Authors: Lee, Michael A., Nguyen, Freddy T., Scott, Kathleen, Chan, Nathan Y.L., Bakh, Naveed Ali, Jones, Kelvin K., Pham, Crystal, Garcia-Salinas, Pablo, Garcia-Parraga, Daniel, Fahlman, Andreas, Marco, Vicente, Koman, Volodymyr B., Oliver, Ronald J., Hopkins, Lloyd W., Rubio, Consuelo, Wilson, Rory P., Meekan, Mark G., Duarte, Carlos M., Strano, Michael S.
• Other Authors: Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, Marine Science Program, Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States, Office of Animal Resources, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States, Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States, Fundación Oceanogràfic de la Comunitat Valenciana, Research Department, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, 46013 Valencia, Spain, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, United Kingdom, Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre (IOMRC), University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Chemical Society (ACS) 2018
• Subjects: Aquatic organisms; Sensor; In vivo; hydrogel; Swnt; Biologging; Anguilla anguilla; European eel
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/630689; https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.8b00538

In recent decades, biologists have sought to tag animals with various sensors to study aspects of their behavior otherwise inaccessible from controlled laboratory experiments. Despite this, chemical information, both environmental and physiological, remains challenging to collect despite its tremendous potential to elucidate a wide range of animal behaviors. In this work, we explore the design, feasibility, and data collection constraints of implantable, near-infrared fluorescent nanosensors based on DNA-wrapped single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) embedded within a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel. These sensors are enabled by Corona Phase Molecular Recognition (CoPhMoRe) to provide selective chemical detection for marine organism biologging. Riboflavin, a key nutrient in oxidative phosphorylation, is utilized as a model analyte in in vitro and ex vivo tissue measurements. Nine species of bony fish, sharks, eels, and turtles were utilized on site at Oceanogràfic in Valencia, Spain to investigate sensor design parameters, including implantation depth, sensor imaging and detection limits, fluence, and stability, as well as acute and long-term biocompatibility. Hydrogels were implanted subcutaneously and imaged using a customized, field-portable Raspberry Pi camera system. Hydrogels could be detected up to depths of 7 mm in the skin and muscle tissue of deceased teleost fish ( Sparus aurata and Stenotomus chrysops) and a deceased catshark ( Galeus melastomus). The effects of tissue heterogeneity on hydrogel delivery and fluorescence visibility were explored, with darker tissues masking hydrogel fluorescence. Hydrogels were implanted into a living eastern river cooter ( Pseudemys concinna), a European eel ( Anguilla anguilla), and a second species of catshark ( Scyliorhinus stellaris). The animals displayed no observable changes in movement and feeding patterns. Imaging by high-resolution ultrasound indicated no changes in tissue structure in the eel and catshark. In the turtle, some ...