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Handbook of Cell Biosensors pp 1–17Cite as

Application of Bacterial Whole-Cell Biosensors in Health

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Abstract

Biosensors employ biological systems to detect an analyte and report it by transducing a detectable signal. Application of synthetic biology design is able to convert bacteria into whole-cell biosensors (WCB), sensing physical and biochemical signals in the environment. Besides advantages of simple use, rapid response, portability, sensitivity, and low cost, the unique features of WCB lie in their ability to detect toxicity/stress and bioavailability in situ. These make WCB an attractive tool to health-related applications. This review focuses on bacterial whole-cell biosensors (WCB) for cancer diagnosis and treatment, antibiotic discovery and identification, and assessment of health risk.

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Acknowledgments

W.E.H. acknowledges support from EPSRC (EP/M002403/1 and EP/N009746/1) in the UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Yizhi Song, Cordelia P. N. Rampley, Xiaoyu Chen, Ian P. Thompson & Wei E. Huang

  2. Hesen Biotech Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China

    Fawen Du

Authors
  1. Yizhi Song
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  2. Cordelia P. N. Rampley
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  3. Xiaoyu Chen
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  4. Fawen Du
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  5. Ian P. Thompson
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  6. Wei E. Huang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wei E. Huang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UMR CNRS 6144 GEPEA, Université de Nantes, La Roche sur Yon, France

    Gerald Thouand

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    Isao Karube

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    Sylvia Daunert

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    Gérald Thouand

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Song, Y., Rampley, C.P.N., Chen, X., Du, F., Thompson, I.P., Huang, W.E. (2019). Application of Bacterial Whole-Cell Biosensors in Health. In: Thouand, G. (eds) Handbook of Cell Biosensors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47405-2_136-1

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