Toxin analysis for emergencies
Toxins are natural poisons which are produced by living organisms and can trigger severe poisoning. As some toxins can be fatal for humans even in the smallest quantities, their bioterrorist uses pose a real threat. The Spiez Laboratory has been verifying and characterising toxins for around 20 years. In order to be able to analyse a very large number of samples in a very short period of time in the event of an emergency, the Laboratory is continuously improving its methods – thanks, among other things, to a research project from armasuisse Science and Technology.
Dr. Corina Beerli, specialist area Research Management and Operations Research, competence sector Science and Technology and Dr. Matthias Wittwer, head of the Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Toxins Group, Spiez Laboratory