Biosensor Engineering from Metagenomic Screening
Abstract
There is enormous potential for the military use of wearable devices containing biosensors formonitoring warfighter physiological s tatus. Applications include remote casualty detection, triageand management; tracking metabolic and hydration status; and the detec tion of chemical andbiological threats. Real-time monitoring of physiology will also enable warfighter enhancementthrough closed-l oop physiological control. While many wearable devices have been developed toharness this potential, the available biosensors to en able wearable devices are extremely limited.Current solutions often involve complex electromechanical devices that are expensive, d ifficult toengineer, and not appropriate for wearable devices.We have developed a novel platform for developing portable biosensor s for a virtually unlimitedarray of analytes. Our platform takes advantage of an enormous and largely untapped reservoir forportab le and inexpensive organic biosensors: microbes. Microbial organisms have evolved over 3billion years to sense virtually any stimul us relevant to human biology. They do so throughmolecular sensing parts that can be harvested and developed into electronic biosens ors suitable forintegration into wearable devices. Using our platform, we have developed multiple first-in-classbiosensors that va lidate our ability to discover and translate novel microbial parts into new sensordevices. We have also developed a growing technol ogy portfolio to harness the full potential ofmicrobial sensing parts into fully deployed electronic sensor devices.Through a DoD funded project, we are developing a wearable device for the real-time monitoringof warfighter physiology. Using our technology, we are developing novel biosensors for a rangeof biomarkers with roles in physiological processes critical to warfighter performance. We aredeploying these sensors in a wearable device for monitoring sweat and interstitial fluid. In supportof this effort, we are seeking to purchase an automated colony picking instrument. This device willallow us to implement a newly developed, more advanced , version of our screening technology.Implementation of this new screen using the colony picker will significantly advance the work ofour current DoD funded TTW project. It will also enable us to expand this work to search foradditional biosensors of strategic importance for national defense.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 22, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112963
Entities
People
- James Galagan
Organizations
- Boston University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy