School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0100, United States.
ACS Synth Biol. 2023 Aug 18;12(8):2487-2492. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00103. Epub 2023 Jul 17.
Hyperhomocysteinemia─a condition characterized by elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood─is associated with multiple health conditions including folate deficiency and birth defects, but there are no convenient, low-cost methods to measure homocysteine in plasma. A cell-free biosensor that harnesses the native homocysteine sensing machinery of bacteria could satisfy the need for a detection platform with these characteristics. Here, we describe our efforts to engineer a cell-free biosensor for point-of-care, low-cost assessment of homocysteine status. This biosensor can detect physiologically relevant concentrations of homocysteine in plasma with a colorimetric output visible to the naked eye in under 1.5 h, making it a fast, convenient tool for point-of-use diagnosis and monitoring of hyperhomocysteinemia and related health conditions.
高同型半胱氨酸血症——一种血液中同型半胱氨酸水平升高的病症——与多种健康状况有关，包括叶酸缺乏和出生缺陷，但目前尚无方便、低成本的方法来测量血浆中的同型半胱氨酸。一种利用细菌天然同型半胱氨酸感应机制的无细胞生物传感器可以满足具有这些特性的检测平台的需求。在这里，我们描述了我们为开发用于即时、低成本评估同型半胱氨酸状态的无细胞生物传感器所做的努力。该生物传感器可以在 1.5 小时内通过比色输出检测到生理相关浓度的血浆同型半胱氨酸，是一种快速、方便的即时诊断工具，可用于监测高同型半胱氨酸血症和相关健康状况。
