Pioneer oceanographic measurements (Under The Pole)
The Under The Pole project will allow the exploration of the ecosystems of the Twilight Zone (between 30 and 150 metres deep), the study of fluorescence / bioluminescence, the research of new Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP).
Between 2017 and 2020, a multidisciplinary team, composed of scientists, divers, sailors, cameramans, photographers, doctors… will explore the oceans.
IDIL by Fiber Optics Group provided a sensitive spectrometer preconfigured for fluorescence measurements in the UV-VIS-NIR wavelength range, with interchangeable slits to change the spectral resolution and sensitivity on-site.
Dr. Koken joined the Under The Pole III expedition. The first stage focused on exploring the Twilight Zone of Arctic Waters, with the goal of finding new bioluminescent proteins.
Dr. Marcel Koken is a molecular biologist. He conducts his research at Labocea (CNRS) in Brest. For the past nine years, he has been studying the properties of bioluminescence and natural fluorescence in proteins and organisms. Through his research, he aims to isolate and characterize families of proteins that are complementary to — or even better than — GFP (green fluorescent protein) and GFP-like proteins. The idea is to understand how these molecules work in order to develop tools for various fields: biological diagnostics, rapid disease screening (such as for tuberculosis), the development of antiviral drugs or antibiotics, and even the detection of military landmines.
He joined the UTP-III scientific team to specifically explore bioluminescence in the deep Arctic Waters. To measure and analyze the fluorescence of collected samples on site, he used the most sensitive miniature UV-VIS spectrometer on the market: the QePro spectrometer. This device offers the perfect balance in terms of weight, size, cost, and performance.
Key points
- Dr. Marcel Koken’s work as part of the Under The Pole III expedition allowed him to characterize bioluminescent and fluorescent proteins in organisms found in the Arctic Ocean — specifically in the Twilight Zone, which had remained unexplored until now.
- The QePro miniature fiber-optic spectrometer from Ocean Optics is preconfigured for UV-VIS measurements and was used to analyze the fluorescence of the discovered proteins. It covers a wavelength range from 185 nm to 1100 nm, with spectral resolution between 0.14 nm and 7.7 nm depending on the selected wavelength. It is compact (182 x 110 x 47 mm³) and weighs only 1.18 kg.
- Dr. Koken is now preparing for his next expedition with UTP III, which will focus on exploring the Twilight Zone of the Pacific Ocean.
