Evaluating the persistence and stability of a DNA-barcoded microbial system in a mock home environment.

Recent advancements in engineered microbial systems capable of deployment in complex environments have enabled the creation of unique signatures for environmental forensics operations. These microbial systems must be robust, able to thrive in specific environments of interest and contain molecular signatures, enabling the detection of the community across conditions. Furthermore, these systems must balance biocontainment concerns with the stability and persistence required for environmental forensics.

Variability in cell-free expression reactions can impact qualitative genetic circuit characterization.

Cell-free expression systems provide a suite of tools that are used in applications from sensing to biomanufacturing. One of these applications is genetic circuit prototyping, where the lack of cloning is required and a high degree of control over reaction components and conditions enables rapid testing of design candidates. Many studies have shown utility in the approach for characterizing genetic regulation elements, simple genetic circuit motifs, protein variants or metabolic pathways.

Cell-Free Protein Systems from are Functional and Growth-Temperature Dependent.

Cellular lysates capable of transcription and translation have become valuable tools for prototyping genetic circuits, screening engineered functional parts, and producing biological components. Here we report that lysates derived from CO92 are functional and can utilize both the σ70 and the bacteriophage T7 promoter systems to produce green fluorescent protein (GFP). Because of the natural lifestyle of , lysates were produced from cultures grown at 21 °C, 26 °C, and 37 °C to mimic the infection cycle.

Determining the Binding Kinetics of Peptide Macrocycles Using Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI).

Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) enables the detection and characterization of molecular interactions in real-time without the hassle and interference of labeling. The affinity constant (K) obtained in the BLI analysis is an excellent indicator of quality of biomolecules such as antibodies, aptamers, peptides, etc. This method was used to analyze a peptide macrocycle against the Abrax protein, but can be used for any peptide macrocycle/analyte system.

Blind Spot: A Braille Patterned Novel Multiplex Lateral Flow Immunoassay Sensor Array for the Detection of Biothreat Agents.

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIs) are simple, point-of-care diagnostic devices used for detecting biological agents or other analytes of interest in a sample. LFIs are predominantly singleplex assays, interrogating one target analyte at a time. There is a need for multiplex LFI devices, e.