Professor Priscilla BakerRenowned University of the Western Cape (UWC) scientist and researcher, Professor Priscilla Baker, says no single analytical technique trumps the other; it’s always supported by another measurement.
Professor Baker, who has been a SARChi (South African Research Chairs Initiative) Research Chair since 2018, delivered a public lecture on signaling and measurement of small organic molecules within the context of health monitoring and well-being, at UWC’s Life Sciences building auditorium earlier this week.
She said although SensorLab is an electrochemistry research group, it has also looked at supporting its evidence by using spectroscopic tools, “by using surface morphology, and seeing if there’s correlation between what we see on the surface as morphology or topography, and how materials engage”.
In a lighthearted moment, Prof Baker recounted the time when she lectured first-years, and how the start of the academic year coincided with Valentine’s Day.
“So everyone was talking about physical contact. But they got the message that there is no chemistry if there is no contact,” she said.
While physical contact of material is important for scientists, there can be passivating layers that block contact, along with oxide layers or impurities, or defects in the material structure that prevent contact and trap air pockets.
Detailing the work her lab has done in measuring electro chemistry, Prof Baker said she and her colleagues often have to engage with suppliers of the instruments used in the laboratories, nudging them to make changes to the equipment. Ultimately their aim is to combine the tools at their disposal to push the boundaries of what is possible.
In 2018, she responded to a call for a SARChi grant to research emerging contaminants. While nano particles are viewed in the scientific community as “magical and fancy”, Prof Baker said these particles are polluting the environment, particularly the food chain.
“So if you think of your chips packet: as a chips packet, containing the chips, it’s no problem, but when it’s flying around in the street or on a rubbish dump and there’s too many of it, it’s a challenge, and now we have to spend a lot of money because it’s a problem for our health and our wellbeing in society,” said Prof Baker.
She said that analogy taken down to the micro and nano scale is the same for the chemical compounds that make up our perfumes, foods and hygiene compounds. Because a lot of them are soluble they end up in our water systems - albeit in very low concentrations to the point that they might not be picked up by wastewater treatment processes.
Prof Baker said based on analytical and electro chemistry, a proposal was made by SensorLab researchers not only to determine the concentrations but also to monitor the processes “to be aware of the systems that these processes are playing out in and to focus on this area of emerging contaminants”.
“There was some work needed to set the guidelines, to demonstrate that it was possible to measure them (nanoparticles), and to inform legislative authorities with the knowledge that we are developing so that we can address this problem of emerging contaminants in the future,” said Prof Baker.
The work of UWC’s researchers in quantifying contaminants, and media interviews, got the attention of the South African Maritime Safety Authority which tasked Prof Baker and her team with quantifying pollutants caused by the burning of fossil fuels in Cape Town harbour, at the Ben Schoeman harbour basin.
“I had to tap into my experience with Oceanography, back in the day, for measuring at depth the type of samples and a number of other supporting analytical and sampling services,” said Prof Baker.
She said the research she and her colleagues conducted was by no means ‘high science’ but rather basic science of measuring and analysing sea water.
“But it was science and scientific knowledge that was missing in the South African landscape. It was a contribution to science that allowed South Africa to take a position with respect to the International Maritime Organisation.
“So it's small work, yes. It's easy to do. Everybody can do analytical (chemistry), but it's the way that you package what you do for impacting society. And I think for us as young researchers sometimes, we don't see that as easily, as when we look back, when you're just about to turn 60,” said Prof Baker.
Her team worked on several research papers which were published, like work on antibiotics in the context of antibiotic resistance. With high levels of antibiotics ending up in the wastewater system, bacteria often evolved to become resistant.
Prof Baker, in her speech, also touched on connected wearable devices which constantly monitor the human body. The challenge for researchers is that they still have to find a way to accurately do continuous measurements.
"The areas that we have focused on in my research group are heart disease, gout, diabetes and dopamine detection. Dopamine and histamine, in the same sense almost, because they’ve got a very similar chemistry,” said Prof Baker.
