The first study, titled ‘Paper-Based Synthetic Gene Networks’ shows how cheap, commercially available materials can be used to build a wide variety of paper-based biosensors that can detect the presence of specific chemicals, such as those present in certain Ebola strains. Once built, these paper-based tools can then be freeze-dried for safe storage and shipping. They can also be stored effectively for up a year at room temperature, a huge advantage in large areas of the world where electricity is unreliable or there are no refrigerators.
“We’ve harnessed the genetic machinery of cells and embedded them in the fiber matrix of paper, which can then be freeze dried for storage and transport — we can now take synthetic biology out of the lab and use it anywhere to better understand our health and the environment,” said the lead author of the study and Wyss Staff Scientist Keith Pardee, PhD.
Once freeze-dried, the paper can be reactivated by simply adding water.
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