Field-deployable whole-cell bioluminescent biosensors: so near and yet so far

Abstract

The use of smart supports and bioinspired materials to confine living cells and use them for field-deployable biosensors has recently attracted much attention. In particular, bioluminescent whole-cell biosensors designed to respond to different analytes or classes of analyte have been successfully implemented in portable and cost-effective analytical devices. Significant advances in detection technology, biomaterial science, and genetic engineering of cells have recently been reported. Now the challenge is to move from benchtop traditional cell-based assays to portable biosensing devices. Improvement of the analytical performance of these biosensors depends on the availability of optimized bioluminescent reporters, and promising approaches that go beyond reporter gene technology are emerging. To enable handling of cells as ready-to-use reagents, nature-inspired strategies have been used, with the objective of keeping cells in a dormant state until use. Several issues must still be investigated, for example long-term viability of cells, the possibility of performing real-time analysis, and multiplexing capability.

Bioengineered bioluminescent magnetotactic bacteria as a powerful tool for chip-based whole-cell biosensors

“…5,6 Nonetheless, the majority of previously reported devices lack adequate analytical performance for real-life applications, and have thus failed to reach the market. 7,8 To increase the robustness of such devices, several cell immobilization strategies have been investigated, aiming to keep the cells alive and responsive to the target analyte. However, analyte and/or reagent (e.g., oxygen, BL substrates…) diffusion through the immobilization matrix may result in prolonged analysis time and reproducibility issues.…”

Application of cellular biosensors for detection of atypical toxic bioactivity in microcystin-containing cyanobacterial extracts

“…Such tools, called "cellular biosensors", combine three major advantages when applied for environmental risk analysis: integration of the cellular response from many possible physiological targets of a complicated toxicant mixture, ability to pinpoint at the molecular level the specific signaling pathway/transcription factor affected by the toxicant, and the possibility of direct testing of environmental samples without a complicated chemical processing in miniaturized sample sizes (Michelini et al, 2013). Recently, at the Institute of Medical Biology PAS, cellular biosensors for assaying hormone disrupting and immunotoxic properties of xenobiotics have been developed and applied successfully for the ecotoxicological analysis of natural (fungal) toxins and actual complex pollutant mixtures (airborne particulate matter) (Wagner et al, 2011;Ratajewski et al, 2011Ratajewski et al, , 2015.…”

Predictor–Response Analysis of Fiber Optic Enzymatic Biosensors Constructed with Nonmodified E. coli BL21 (DE3) pGELAF+ Sensing 1,2-Dichloroethane

“…Initially, in the case of WCB an integratable biocomponent is required [7]. Further examples include: Song et al [21] Michelini et al [12] Field deployable microfluidic sensors Sensor material and geometry response-performance dependencies…”