LOEWE Focus Group AmbiProbe

AmbiProbe – Mass Spectromic in situ Analytics for the Problem Areas of Health, Environment, Climate, and Security

Duration: 2010-2013

Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Spengler
Department of Anorganic and Analytical Chemistry
Schubertstrasse 60
35392 Giessen

Telephone: 0641 99-34800/1
Fax: 0641 99-34809

E-mail:

Short Description:

JLU has a high potential in the field of developing analytical techniques, instruments, and methods, which should be combined and developed for focused research development.  The project leaders are Prof. Dr. Bernhard Spengler (spokesman), Dr. Zoltan Takats, Dr. Klaus-Peter Hinz, Dr. Andreas Römpp, Dr. Bernd Commerscheidt, Prof. Dr. Andreas Vilcinskas, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rolf-Alexander Düring, Dr. Wolfgang Plaß (all from JLU); Prof. Dr. Christoph Scheidenberger (JLU/GSI Darmstadt); Prof. Dr. Michael Karas (Frankfurt); and Prof. Dr. Wolf Dieter Lehman (DKFZ Heidelberg).

With "Ambiprobe" a high-tech focus on developing chemical detection methods and devices for the fields of health, environment, climate, and security (GUKS) should emerge.  These devices and methods will be miniaturized, mobile, and deployable directly on site.  As an independent unit, this focus group should develop new, desperately needed procedures that are oriented on current societal problems of general chemical security.  The focus therefore is on basic research in analytical chemistry.

In the GUKS field, new methods are necessary that do not need to rely on sometimes cumbersome laboratory and sample extraction procedures.  This therefore requires small measurements, low weight, and extensive infrastructural independence for the technical systems in order to be introduced.  Such so-called in situ methods should be developed for various areas of application such as the identification of mycotoxins (fungal poisons) in plants, food products, and indoor aerosols; automated recognition of different body tissues during a surgical procedure; detecting and back-tracing the introduction of environmental poisons; defending against terrorist attacks at airports; or the detection of molecular biological communications systems and chemical decomposition products (biomarkers and metabolites).  For this, mobile analysis methods must be developed.

More information at www.ambiprobe.org