Congratulations Lin, Josh, and Xu on their publication in Nature! This endeavor overcame challenges in biology and material science to create a specific, rapid bioelectronic sensor. With a detection time of minutes, this technology enables real-time monitoring of low concentration contaminants in water before they become irreversible, and is substantially faster and cheaper than fluorescence-based biosensors and liquid chromatography monitoring. To achieve this, the team engineered a synthetic electron transfer chain that pulls in proteins from four different organisms into E. coli, includes a post-translational gate to overcome rate limitations, and encapsulates the cells and electrode in conductive nanomaterials to improve signal to noise ratios. Proof of concept was demonstrated on thiosulfate and the endocrine disruptor 4-hydroxytamoxifen in environmental water samples, but the concept is applicable to a wide array of contaminants. Spanning the labs of Caroline Ajo-Franklin, Joff Silberg, and George Bennett, between Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Rice University, this was truly a collaborative effort (our favorite kind)!

Check out the publication here, as well as Rice U’s write up of the project and the video below!