Genetically
Engineered Baker’s Yeast Detects Variety of
Fungal Pathogens
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a cheap and easy to use
Fungal pathogen sensor based on store bought baker’s yeast. Currently available methods for detecting specific fungi involve expensive equipment, the use of refrigeration, and trained personnel. Using the team’s technique may result in cheap, readily available testing for a
Variety of
Fungal Pathogens that a layman can perform.
While the
Yeast used is indeed the commonly available
Variety (
Saccharomyces cerevisiae), it has been
Genetically modified to produce protein cell surface receptors that stick to target fungi as well as lycopene, the chemical that gives tomatoes their red color. When the cell surface receptors stick onto a fungus they were
Engineered to seek out, they turn red, pointing to the presence of the pathogen.
A
Variety of yeasts can be generated at low cost that attach to different
Fungal pathogens, and the researchers have already done that for about a dozen or so. Detecting whether something is turning red requires only a person without color blindness. All this means that it seems like everything is in place to allow
Genetically modified
Yeast become a common
Fungal testing platform that can be used just about anywhere in the world.
Here’s a video from Columbia about the research:
Study in
Science Advances:
A modular yeast biosensor for low-cost point-of-care pathogen detection…
Via:
Columbia University…
