UT class researches algae testing, finds high variability

While most Toledoan residents probably saw the water crisis in the summer of 2014 as an inconvenience at best and a disaster at worst, Associate Professor of Environmental Science Song Qian saw something else: an opportunity for learning.

Qian’s curiosity was sparked by the report of the high levels of microcystins found in Lake Erie, which was reported as being above average. Qian wanted to know the accuracy of the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test, which was the kit used to measure the toxin levels.

“We went through the crisis and I realized there’s a problem in this whole process,” Qian said. “Because you have high uncertainties in your data, and we don’t have a means to quantify that uncertainty. Therefore, whenever you have a high-stake decision to make and you don’t know for sure what’s the actual toxin concentration, what do you do?”

With this question in mind, Qian created a class in fall 2014 to look into the issue. The class consisted of UT graduate students and collaborated with a researcher from Ohio State University.

Jessica Sherman, a graduate student in environmental science, wrote in an email interview that some students focused on gathering data while others analyzed the ELISA test itself.

“Often times in science, a method of analysis is discovered and then widely accepted as the way to conduct science and there is sometimes little regard for finding alternative methods,” Sherman wrote. “I think it is important to always review our scientific knowledge base and standard operations to determine if new knowledge of the subject or incorporating other facets of science can help us enhance or reconfigure our techniques and methods.”

Mark DuFour, a graduate student in the class and now a Ph.D. student in environmental science, said the class aimed to discuss both the problem itself and better ways to communicate results to the public, as well as solutions that would allow public officials to make decisions based on public health with more certainty.

The issue, according to Qian, is that the tests at the time of the water crisis were showing very different results. According to the city’s report, the unusually high point that caused the “Do Not Drink” advisory was a lysed sample reading of .6 for microcystin. However, Qian said some of the other test results were relatively low, which caused him to look into the whole process.

“You tend to get very different answers from test to test, that’s why we said the variation is high,” Qian said. “So initially what we did is try to say, ‘How much variation is there in the tests?’”

The class summed up their findings in a paper titled “Quantifying and Reducing Uncertainty in Estimated Microcystin Concentrations from the ELISA Method,” which was published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal produced by the American Chemical Society.

After concluding the test was highly variable, the class also proposed a method of measuring the microcystin levels that involves using more data to create a more accurate picture of the situation. Qian said he is in the process of talking to the manufacturer of the ELISA method about ways to incorporate their findings into the test.

In addition to uncovering valuable information about the water crisis that could benefit the city if a similar situation were to arise, Qian said the research also benefits the students involved, who get to learn about real-world applications of research methods.

“The point of doing this for me is, first of all, there’s an interesting research question … second of all, there’s a teaching question, and when you have graduate students taking classes, we want to use problems related to local issues,” Qian said.

DuFour said he thinks the class was beneficial to all those involved, and was a practical learning experience that paid off for all those involved in the end. DuFour doesn’t directly study microcystins or algal blooms, but he said he uses same statistical techniques they practiced in his own research.

“It was a real-world kind of hot topic situation for students to look at and get excited about,” DuFour said. “That was a really high profile issue, not just for ecologists — this affected everybody.”