Phys.org September 1, 2022
The creation of proteins that use specific, sensitive, real-time biological recognition detection methods for VX neurotoxin using directed evolution or library screening methods has been hampered because its toxicity makes laboratory experimentation extraordinarily expensive. A team of researchers in the US (the City College of New York, the State University of New Jersey, Clarkson University) designed the protein to have a cavity at its center that matched the precise shape and chemical composition of VX. The protein underwent a dramatic shape change, burying VX in the cavity. The shape change is the signal which could be coupled to a sensor device. The protein could detect VX at levels a thousand times more sensitive than current technologies. The protein doesn’t produce false positives that occur when present-day sensors accidentally detect non-nerve agent chemicals which are similar, like some pesticides. According to the researchers this development could pave the way for a new generation of tailor-made biosensors and treatments that could be deployed against the chemical warfare agent VX…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
(A) Sequences of DRNN and its derivatives… Credit: SCIENCE ADVANCES, 6 Jul 2022, Vol 8, Issue 27Â