A TÜBİTAK project at Hitit University will produce smart polymers that recognize antidepressants.
The project, titled "Development of Selective and Sensitive Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Sensors with Antidepressant-Imprinted Nanopolymers," prepared by Prof. Dr. Kadir Erol, a faculty member at Hitit University's Vocational School of Health Services, has been awarded funding under the TÜBİTAK 1002 Rapid Support Program.
The project aims to produce smart polymers that recognize antidepressants and integrate them into an optical sensor system. The goal of this new system is to prevent antidepressant drugs, which are excreted in the body without being fully digested, from polluting the environment.
Prof. Dr. Kadir Erol stated that antidepressant drugs are among the most consumed medications in Turkey and worldwide, and that these drugs, which are excreted without being fully digested, are among the most important micro-pollutants threatening environmental health.
Erol stated that when non-degradable drug biomolecules mix with wastewater systems, they become integrated into the environment, adding:
“These antidepressant molecules, interacting with other metabolites and toxic species in the environment, can return to us and animals through the food chain. They can become much more dangerous than the version that is initially excreted in our bodies without being digested. Therefore, they must be disposed of before they return to us through the food chain. An analysis of whether the systems used for disposal are functioning properly is also necessary. For this reason, we set out to develop such a sensor system. We will produce smart polymers that recognize antidepressant drugs and integrate them into an optical sensor system.”
Erol also stated that this will make a significant contribution to environmental health by detecting pollutant classes, saying, “Smart polymers will be used to detect antidepressants in this study, but they are also suitable for the diagnosis and analysis of numerous biomolecules. I believe that once we integrate this technology into our laboratories, this project will open up new projects for us.”
Erol emphasized that the collection and collective disposal of pharmaceutical waste is an important part of the waste management system.
