Water is a complex system that defines the complexity and functionalities of biological systems1,2. It has been studied with different tools and methods over the years. Finding an approach for dynamic non-destructive analysis of water hydrogen bonding in biological systems would elucidate the relation between biological functions and the water structure.
The water – light interaction pattern presented as an electromagnetic spectrum of light absorbance could be used as an enormous source of information, both physical and chemical3.Water absorbance bands and overtones, in general, have been identified4, but there are still numerous hydrogen absorbance bands related to the water molecular system that need to be identified and further used for understanding of biology.
Aquaphotomics4 has been introduced as a new approach to study watermolecular systems in biology3. Aquaphotomics is based on visible-near infrared spectroscopy (VIS – NIRS) and multivariate analysis. It relates water absorbance patterns to respective biofunctionalities and aims to discover new water hydrogen bonds in biological systems under various perturbations . Once this database of water absorbance bands, i.e. water matrix coordinates (WAMACS), or aquaphotome, has been built up, various characteristic water absorbance patterns, i.e. water molecular structures would be discovered and utilized as biological markers. Together with other “omics” sciences, Aquaphotomics would contribute to a more complete understanding of water as a life matrix.
“NIR spectroscopy: a tool for Aquaphotomics” is one of the pre-conference courses to be presented on the 15th May 2011, before the start of NIR 2011 on Monday 16th May 2011. Methods for multivariate analysis to be used for water bands identification and examples of bio diagnosis with the respective water absorbance patterns (bio markers) will be presented. The course, to be presented by Roumiana Tsenkova and Aoife Gowen from the Biomeasurement Laboratory, Kobe University, Japan, will include the following:
- Introduction: Aquaphotomics as dynamic spectroscopy of aqueous and biological systems that describes peculiarities of water
2. NIRS as a main tool for Aquaphotomics
2.1. Historical preview
2.2. Vis-NIR spectroscopy of aqueous systems with water as the common denominator on molecular level
3. Aquaphotomics: terms and definition
3.1. Water Matrix Coordinates, WAMACS
3.2. Water Absorbance Patterns, WAPS
3.3. Aquaphotome
3.4. Extended water mirror approach, EWMA
4. Multivariate methods for water band identification
5. Aquaphotomics: Hands on experience
All participants in the course will be given the updated Aquaphotome database with identified water absorbance bands.
Please visit the NIR 2011 website (www.nir2011.org) to register for this course.
References
1. R. Roy, W.A. Tiller, I. Bell and M.R. Hoover, The structure of liquid water; novel insights from materials research; potential relevance to homeopathy, Mat. Res. Innovat. 9(4), 93–124, 2005.
2. R. Tsenkova, Introduction Aquaphotomics: dynamic spectroscopy of aqueous and biological systems describes peculiarities of water, J. Near Infrared Spectrosc. 17 (2009) 303-313.
3. J.L. Finney, The water molecule and its interactions: the interaction between theory, modelling, and experiment, J. Mol. Liquids. 90(1-3), 303–312, 2001.
4. R. Tsenkova, Aquaphotomics: dynamic spectroscopy of aqueous and biological systems describes peculiarities of water, J. Near Infrared Spectrosc. 17, 303–314, 2009.
5. M. Chaplin, Water structure and science:
http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/vibrat.html#d
Roumiana Tsenkova and Aoife Gowen, Biomeasurement Laboratory, Kobe University, Japan
