Wastewater contains a hidden wealth of information about the communities that produce it. During the Covid-19 pandemic, sewage monitoring for viral RNA became a key tool for tracking outbreaks. TU Delft researcher Martin Pabst and his team are now expanding this concept with a new method that enables large-scale monitoring of human health and microbial activity through wastewater.
New method measures proteins and microbes simultaneously
Researcher Martin Pabst and PhD candidate Claudia Tugui developed an advanced proteomics approach, known as de novo metaproteomics, that allows high-throughput analysis of human proteins and microbial communities in wastewater samples. Traditional wastewater surveillance mainly focuses on DNA, RNA, or small molecules. By directly measuring proteins, this method offers a more direct view of active biological processes, creating new opportunities to track disease dynamics, inflammation, and possibly also antimicrobial resistance (read more about this: METAMIC 3 Website).
“Proteins are the functional molecules of life, and until recently many protein markers in wastewater were too complex or sensitive to detect reliably,” explains Pabst. “Recent technological advances now make it possible to capture both microbial and human protein signals at scale.”
More information
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