Journal Article

A glucose meter interface for point-of-care gene circuit-based diagnostics

Guo, Yuxiu, Amalfitano, Evan, Babiuk, Shawn, Pinette, Mathieu, Green, Alexander A., Jaenes, Katariina, Bremner, Rod, Karlikow, Margot, Sinton, David, Pearson, Joel D., Norouzi, Masoud, Pardee, Keith, Sadat Mousavi, Peivand, Trcka, Daniel, Ambagala, Aruna, Masum, Fahim, Ma, Duo, Brumell, John H., Tang, Laura, Wrana, Jeff, Sydor, Andrew, Cicek, Seray, Pickering, Bradley, Mazzulli, Tony

2021

Overview

Recent advances in cell-free synthetic biology have given rise to gene circuit-based sensors with the potential to provide decentralized and low-cost molecular diagnostics. However, it remains a challenge to deliver this sensing capacity into the hands of users in a practical manner. Here, we leverage the glucose meter, one of the most widely available point-of-care sensing devices, to serve as a universal reader for these decentralized diagnostics. We describe a molecular translator that can convert the activation of conventional gene circuit-based sensors into a glucose output that can be read by off-the-shelf glucose meters. We show the development of new glucogenic reporter systems, multiplexed reporter outputs and detection of nucleic acid targets down to the low attomolar range. Using this glucose-meter interface, we demonstrate the detection of a small-molecule analyte; sample-to-result diagnostics for typhoid, paratyphoid A/B; and show the potential for pandemic response with nucleic acid sensors for SARS-CoV-2. Getting synthetic biology circuit-based sensors into field applications is still a challenge. Here the authors combine a circuit sensor with a glucose meter for small analyte and nucleic acid detection.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 38/23 / 38/77 / 38/90 / 631/61/185 / 631/61/32 / 631/61/338 / 631/61/338/552 / 692/53/2421 / 82/80 / Biology / Biosensing Techniques - instrumentation / Biosensing Techniques - methods / Circuits / COVID-19 - diagnosis / COVID-19 - epidemiology / COVID-19 - virology / Gene Regulatory Networks - genetics / Glucose / Glucose - analysis / Glucose - metabolism / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Measuring instruments / multidisciplinary / Nucleic acids / Nucleic Acids - analysis / Nucleic Acids - genetics / Pandemics / Point of care testing / Point-of-Care Systems / SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification / SARS-CoV-2 - physiology / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Sensors / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Synthetic biology / Target detection / Typhoid / Typhoid Fever - blood / Typhoid Fever - diagnosis / Typhoid Fever - microbiology