Monitoring Escherichia coli in Water through Real-Time Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification on Biochips

Access to clean water is fundamental to public health and safety, serving as the cornerstone of well-being in communities. Despite the significant investments of millions of dollars in water testing and treatment processes, the United States continues to grapple with over 7 million waterborne-related cases annually. This persistent challenge underscores the pressing need for the development of a new, efficient, rapid, low-cost, and reliable method for ensuring water quality. The urgency of this endeavor cannot be overstated, as it holds the potential to safeguard countless lives and mitigate the pervasive risks associated with contaminated water sources. In this study, we introduce a biochip LAMP assay tailored for water source monitoring. Our method swiftly detects even extremely low concentrations of <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) in water, and 10 copies/μL of <i>E. coli</i> aqueous solution could yield positive results within 15 min on a PC-MEDA biochip. This innovation marks a significant departure from the current reliance on lab-dependent methods, which typically necessitate several days for bacterial culture and colony counting. Our multifunctional biochip system not only enables the real-time LAMP testing of crude <i>E. coli</i> samples but also holds promise for future modifications to facilitate on-site usage, thereby revolutionizing water quality assessment and ensuring rapid responses to potential contamination events.