University of Victoria

<p><strong>University of Victoria</strong></p>
<p>The University of Victoria (UVic) is located in Victoria, British Columbia on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. We are widely recognized for leadership in research, inspired teaching, community engagement and industry partnerships. UVic works with local, national and international innovators in research and development to maintain its standing at #1 in North America for Published Research Based on International Collaborations (Leiden rankings, 2011-2019). Researchers at UVic work to discover technologies that make a difference, making contributions to a wide range of fields from fuel cells to cancer cells to climate change and cultural change. We are small enough to be personable and agile, and big enough to make an impact on the world. We strive to make change through research excellence, and a diverse research portfolio for continued growth and further global prominence. UVic has an innovative spirit with a desire to see new ideas and discoveries come to life. </p>
<p><strong>Research Partnerships</strong></p>
<p>The Research Partnerships office manages all commercialization and technology transfer activities for UVic. Our office builds relationships with external partners and supports the engaged research environment. We manage the innovation process via disclosure, evaluation and protection of intellectual property. We have filed 550+ patents, received 1100+ invention disclosures and launched 170+ start-up companies since our office’s inception in 1992. Industry-academic partnerships are the most valuable way industry can leverage UVic’s expertise. We welcome inquiries from companies interested in collaborating with UVic or from those wanting to learn more about our licensing opportunities.</p>


<h1 id="background">Background</h1>
<p>Elevated fluoride concentrations in drinking water pose a significant risk to human health. The guidelines for drinking water quality issued by the World Health Organization indicate that fluoride concentration of up to 1.5 mg/L is safe to humans (WHO, Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, Vol 1, 4th ed, 2017). Ingesting water with a fluoride concentration above the guideline could lead to fluorosis, a condition affecting the dental and skeletal systems. In areas where groundwater is the main source of drinking water, over 200 million people are potentially negatively impacted by fluoride that exceeds safe levels in drinking water (S. Jagtap, et al. 2012). Monitoring the fluoride level in drinking water is critical to maintain optimal health. Current technologies for fluoride testing are dominated by colorimetric test kits and ion-selective electrodes (ISE). While they are effective in certain applications, these technologies also come with drawbacks, such as cumbersome setup in remote settings, bulky and costly equipment, measurement errors, costly maintenance, and requirement for safe disposal of wastes due to the use of reagents. For these reasons, there is a need for an easy-to-use, reliable, cost-effective and reagent-free tool to test fluoride levels in remote locations to determine safe drinking water sources.</p>
<h1 id="technology-overview">Technology Overview</h1>
<p>Accomplished researchers at University of Victoria have developed a portable fluoride sensor (<img src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.in-part.com/technologies/figures/PowCbO39R5qJkSut7TWn_IN-PART-fluoride-2.jpg" alt="Figure. 1" />) that provides a cost-effective and reagent-free method to detect and measure concentrations of fluoride in drinking water. This patented sensor technology employs an optical fiber with aluminum-coated tip. When this aluminum-coated tip is immersed in a fluoride-containing water sample, the coating is removed via the chemical reaction between fluoride and aluminum. Removal of such aluminum coating reduces the intensity of light that reflects from the fiber tip to the photodiode through the optical fiber. The signal associated with this change in light intensity is proportional to the concentration of fluoride, and is translated to fluoride concentration measurement.</p>
<h1 id="benefits">Benefits</h1>
<ul>
<li>User-friendly and portable.</li>
<li>Reagent‑free for and environmentally sustainable.</li>
<li>In-situ test results for onsite decision‑making and action.</li>
<li>Ability to gather continuous measurements for monitoring purposes.</li>
<li>Low cost per test.</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="applications">Applications</h1>
<ul>
<li>Prospecting for good sources of safe drinking water.</li>
<li>In‑situ testing of fluoride levels in water in remote settings.</li>
<li>In‑home monitoring of tap water quality.</li>
<li>Spot check analysis for quality control.</li>
<li>Water pollution and wastewater treatment.</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="opportunity">Opportunity</h1>
<p>The University is interested in:</p>
<ul>
<li>Out‑licensing this patented technology to companies </li>
<li>Collaborative research and development (e.g. via the <a href="https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/innovate-innover/alliance-alliance/index_eng.asp">NSERC Alliance funding program</a> in Canada)</li>
</ul>
<p>The university is interested in partnering with companies to develop an improved prototype tailored to specific application. </p>
<p>The university is interested in exploring potential partnership with companies, such as Hach, Evoqua Water Technologies, Puraffinity and De Nora, to utilize this technology to address challenges relating to water pollution and wastewater treatment. </p>
