An automated system for accelerating biosensor design
Abstract
Rapid, on-demand monitoring of human performance biomarkers is a vital capability to ensure Airmen and Guardian health and safety in adverse environments, being especially important for point-of-need detection, recording, and reporting of stress and fatigue. Synthetic biology offers technological breakthroughs with the potential to transform this mission space for the Department of Defense (DoD). One key breakthrough has been the creation of technologies that produce detectable signals in the presence of a specific chemical or biomarker target.¹�� At the core of these technologies are genetically encoded allosteric transcription factors (aTFs) that bind to chemical markers and trigger changes in reporter gene expression to generate a visible or electrochemical output (Figure 1A).¹ While this approach has shown early promise for the implementation of new schemes for molecular detection (most notably for water quality diagnostics such as lead, arsenic, mercury, fluoride, etc.), the design, construction, and optimization of new biosensors presents formidable challenges. One challenge is that the design principles for systematically improving the sensitivity, limit of detection, and dynamic range of aTF-based biosensors are underdeveloped, limiting their practical utility in the field. To address this challenge, there is an urgent need for novel prototyping platforms for both cell-free and whole-cell biosensors. We seek to address this need through the development of an ultra-high throughput, cell-free screening platform to optimize aTF-based biosensors for human performance biomarkers (Figure 1B). In the short-term, this platform could lead to biosensor systems for the detection of neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutryric acid (GABA), and dopamine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 06, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310420
Entities
People
- Michael C Jewett
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Northwestern University
- United States Air Force