ArticlePloS one2019
A paper-based, cell-free biosensor system for the detection of heavy metals and date rape drugs.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Programmable DNA Biohybrid Material Coupled with Intelligent Cell-Free Computation for Environmental Sensing.ACS omega · 2026Article
- Tardigrade-Derived Strategy for Low-Cost Storage of Cell-Free Expression Lysates.ACS synthetic biology · 2026Article
- Designing a Whole-Cell Biosensor for Detection of Toxic Metals Using Intein Splicing Inhibition ofACS omega · 2026Article
- Microbial bioindicators for multidimensional assessment of environmental alterations and ecosystem functioning.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2026Review
- A T7 RNAP regulatory toolbox for cell-free network engineering and biosensing applications.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Engineering Allosteric Transcription Factor-Based Biosensors: Advances and Prospects for Modern Food Contaminant Monitoring.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Mitigating the deleterious impact of saliva on cell-free expression sensors for point-of-use diagnostics.Synthetic biology (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Horseradish peroxidase as an electrochemical reporter protein for cell-free biosensors.Synthetic biology (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Automated and Programmable Cell-Free Systems for Scalable Synthetic Biology with a Focus on Biofoundry Integration.Journal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2025Review
- Gene circuit-based sensors.Fundamental research · 2025Review
- Recent Advances in Developing Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Biosensors for Medical Diagnostics and Environmental Monitoring.Biosensors · 2025Review
- Synthetic cell preservation strategies enable their storage and activation at the point of use.Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) · 2025Article
- A cell-free biosensor signal amplification circuit with polymerase strand recycling.Nature chemical biology · 2025Article
- A Design of Experiments Approach for Enhancing Room Temperature Stability of a Lyophilised and Paper-Based Bacterial Cell-Free System.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Cell-Free Gene Expression: Methods and Applications.Chemical reviews · 2025Review
- Regulatory Components for Bacterial Cell-Free Systems Engineering.ACS synthetic biology · 2024Review
- Sensing the Future-Frontiers in Biosensors: Exploring Classifications, Principles, and Recent Advances.ACS omega · 2024Review
- Genetically encoded biosensors for the circular plastics bioeconomy.Metabolic engineering communications · 2024Article
- Portable Miniaturized IoT-Enabled Point-of-Care Device for Electrochemical Sensing of Zopiclone in Cocktails.Biosensors · 2024Article
- Microbial biosensors for diagnostics, surveillance and epidemiology: Today's achievements and tomorrow's prospects.Microbial biotechnology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Biosensors have emerged as a valuable tool with high specificity and sensitivity for fast and reliable detection of hazardous substances in drinking water. Numerous substances have been addressed using synthetic biology approaches. However, many proposed biosensors are based on living, genetically modified organisms and are therefore limited in shelf life, usability and biosafety. We addressed these issues by the construction of an extensible, cell-free biosensor. Storage is possible through freeze drying on paper. Following the addition of an aqueous sample, a highly efficient cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) reaction is initiated. Specific allosteric transcription factors modulate the expression of 'superfolder' green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) depending on the presence of the substance of interest. The resulting fluorescence intensities are analyzed with a conventional smartphone accompanied by simple and cheap light filters. An ordinary differential equitation (ODE) model of the biosensors was developed, which enabled prediction and optimization of performance. With an optimized cell-free biosensor based on the Shigella flexneri MerR transcriptional activator, detection of 6 μg/L Hg(II) ions in water was achieved. Furthermore, a completely new biosensor for the detection of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a substance used as date-rape drug, was established by employing the naturally occurring transcriptional repressor BlcR from Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.