SensAr: an arsenic biosensor for drinking water

ALEJANDRO NADRA; BENJAMÍN BASANTA; HERNÁN BONOMI; NICOLÁS CARLOTTO; MANUEL GIMÉNEZ; ALICIA GRANDE; NICOLÁS NIETO MORENO; FEDERICO BARONE; FRANCISCO DORR; LUCIANO MARASCO; SEBASTIÁN MILDINER; INÉS PATOP; SANTIAGO SOSA; LUCAS VATTINO; FEDERICO VIGNALE

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 5th International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment; 2014

Based on synthetic biology tools, a biosensor was designed to be specific for arsenic detection in water. It was designed to be cheap and easy to use (image based instructions will be enough). The device has a modular design which enables us to detect other water pollutants, with minor genetic modifications. In the presence of arsenic, the system develops a red color in a dose dependent manner that can be evaluated by naked eye and compared to an internal standard. Laboratory proof of concept worked nicely and the dynamic range of the assay (between 0 and 500 ppb) covers the critical arsenite concentrations according the World Health Organization. The current effort is focused on building a prototype that could be delivered for domestic use.