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New test for bioweapons uses engineered cells

Emergency Management Alert, July 16, 2003

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created a system with sensors that light up within seconds after coming into contact with a dangerous virus or bacteria, the Associated Press reports.

A study published last week in the journal Science reveals that MIT researchers have engineered cells that are able to sense and identify bioweapons spread through the mail, air, or water. The system uses mouse B lymphocytes, or white blood cells, that have been engineered to contain a jellyfish gene for a luminescent protein and altered to carry antibodies that respond to certain diseases.

When the sensor cells detect a pathogen such as anthrax, they trigger a burst of calcium within the B cells. The calcium activates the bioluminescent protein and causes the whole cell to glow. In the body, B cells carry antibodies that recognize and adhere to specific bacteria or viruses.

Developed with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the system has been tested successfully against all known pathogens that can be used as weapons, such as anthrax, smallpox, plague, tularemia, and encephalitis.

Emergency responders could use the system to test suspicious substances on the street or in subways or airports. The system works in 30 seconds to three minutes, compared to existing methods that take at least 30 minutes to several hours in a lab.

For more information, visit www.sciencemag.org

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