Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34183860›Full record

ArticleNature biotechnology2021

Wearable materials with embedded synthetic biology sensors for biomolecule detection.

Peter Q Nguyen, Luis R Soenksen, Nina M Donghia, Nicolaas M Angenent-Mari, Helena de Puig, Ally Huang, Rose Lee, Shimyn Slomovic, Tommaso Galbersanini, Geoffrey Lansberry and 4 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature biotechnology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 187 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
187citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
32.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

187 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 518 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Enzymatic DNA Reaction Networks for Orchestrating Stimuli-Dependent Temporal Molecular Pulse.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
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  18. Programming Next-Generation Synthetic Biosensors by Genetic Circuit Design.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article

127 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Peter Q Nguyen *Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0935-6404
Luis R Soenksen *Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7890-7209
Nina M DonghiaWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Nicolaas M Angenent-MariWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Helena de PuigWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Ally HuangWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Rose LeeWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Shimyn SlomovicWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Tommaso GalbersaniniDREAMLUX, Samsara S.r.l., Milan, Italy.
Geoffrey LansberryWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7341-9860
Hani M SallumWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0730-2859
Evan M ZhaoWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
James B NiemiWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
James J CollinsWyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. jimjc@mit.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5560-8246
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · USBroad Institute · USHarvard University · US

Funding

United States Department of Defense | Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) HDTRA1-14-1-0006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Integrating synthetic biology into wearables could expand opportunities for noninvasive monitoring of physiological status, disease states and exposure to pathogens or toxins. However, the operation of synthetic circuits generally requires the presence of living, engineered bacteria, which has limited their application in wearables. Here we report lightweight, flexible substrates and textiles functionalized with freeze-dried, cell-free synthetic circuits, including CRISPR-based tools, that detect metabolites, chemicals and pathogen nucleic acid signatures. The wearable devices are activated upon rehydration from aqueous exposure events and report the presence of specific molecular targets by colorimetric changes or via an optical fiber network that detects fluorescent and luminescent outputs. The detection limits for nucleic acids rival current laboratory methods such as quantitative PCR. We demonstrate the development of a face mask with a lyophilized CRISPR sensor for wearable, noninvasive detection of SARS-CoV-2 at room temperature within 90 min, requiring no user intervention other than the press of a button.

Indexed as

COVID-19Synthetic BiologyWearable Electronic DevicesBiosensing TechniquesHumansSARS-CoV-2Textiles

Identifiers

PMID34183860
OpenAlexW3175119564

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.