Bioluminescent-bioreporter integrated circuits form novel whole-cell biosensors

The bioluminescent-bioreporter integrated circuit represents a new advance in the development of whole-cell biosensors, consisting of a genetically engineered bioreporter organism interfaced with an integrated circuit. The bioreporter is engineered to luminesce when a targeted substance is encountered, with the circuit being designed to detect this luminescence, process the signal and communicate the results. The bioreporters are thus available to the circuit designer as another component, analogous to a transistor or a resistor, albeit a living entity. The concept has been demonstrated using Pseudomonas putida TVA8 to sense the environmental pollutant toluene.