Scientists from the Harvard Wyss Institute have developed a printed paper test able to detect pathogens using standard equipment and commercially available cell-free systems.

The test, which is the fruit of a collaboration between two teams at the institute, transcends simple chemistry used in previous applications, according to CNET's Michelle Starr. To develop the tests, the teams embedded synthetic gene networks into the paper, that can be freeze-dried and thawed when it's about to be used.

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"In the last fifteen years, there have been exciting advances in synthetic biology," said James Collins, PhD, who is also Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medicine at Boston University, and Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Center of Synthetic Biology.

"But until now, researchers have been limited in their progress due to the complexity of biological systems and the challenges faced when trying to re-purpose them."

He added that synthetic biology has previously been confined to laboratory settings, operating inside living cells or in liquid-solutions in test tubes.

The tests are manufactured using common hardware and market-available cell-free systems, which are embedded into the paper along with proteins that change color.

A "toehold switch," a new, special gene switch, is also added. This switch is rendered active when it discovers the presence of a particular RNA sequence.

The active toehold switch then triggers the color-changing proteins to do their thing, effectively diagnosing the disease for which the test was designed.

"We've harnessed the genetic machinery of cells and embedded them in the fiber matrix of paper, which can then be freeze dried for storage and transport -- we can now take synthetic biology out of the lab and use it anywhere to better understand our health and the environment," said lead author Keith Pardee, PhD.

Tagsharvard wyss institute, Paper test, Disease test, Disease diagnosis, medicine, Disease testing