Synthetic Gene Networks Enable Rapid Virus Detection

An original method for using engineered gene circuits has been developed that allows investigators to safely activate the cell-free, paper-based system by simply adding water.

The low-cost, easy-to-use synthetic gene network platform that can control the activity of genes and recognize nucleic acids and small molecules could enable the rapid detection of different strains of deadly viruses such as Ebola.


Scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biological Inspired Engineering (Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA) developed a cell-free, paper-based system suitable for use outside specialized laboratories. To test the clinical relevance of their method, they developed sensors capable of detecting ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules made from genes that allow bacteria to survive antibiotics, as well as RNA molecules encoding proteins from two different strains of the highly deadly Ebola virus. When freeze-dried onto paper, the sensors quickly detected the presence of these RNA molecules demonstrating the usefulness of the approach for diagnostic purposes.

The scientists created circuits with colorimetric outputs for detection by eye and fabricated a low-cost, electronic optical interface for field use. They tested to see whether the enzyme activity required for transcription and translation could be reconstituted from freeze-dried cell-free expression systems, which normally require storage at -80 °C. A new generation of riboregulators was tested in an in vitro demonstration of toehold switches and these robust biomolecular switches provide tight translational regulation over transcripts and exhibit excellent orthogonality.

James J. Collins, PhD, a professor and senior author of the study, “Our paper-based system could not only improve tools currently only available in the laboratory, but would be readily useful for the field, and also improve the development of new tools. Considering the projected cost, reaction time, ease of use, and no requirement for laboratory infrastructure, we envision paper-based synthetic gene networks significantly expanding the role of synthetic biology in the clinic, global health, and education.” The study was published on October 23, 2014, in the journal Cell.

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Wyss Institute for Biological Inspired Engineering