Perfluorosense
Perfluorochemicals are a collection of chemicals used to make heat and stain resistant coatings in clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, insulation, non-stick cookware, and many other applications. Many of these perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), namely perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), never break down naturally in the environment and can last in our bodies for many years. The chemicals are commonly found in increasing levels in contaminated drinking water and are bioaccumulative – even people who do not drink water with PFAS can ingest them by eating plants or animals with PFAS in them. A dramatic increase in research on these chemicals in the last two decades has shown that they can be carcinogenic, pro-inflammatory, and potentially even cause liver dysfunction. Current methods to detect them include liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy, both of which can be time consuming and costly measures, requiring advanced lab equipment and trained personnel.
We are working on Perfluorosense, a bacterial biosensor to detect PFAS cheaply, quickly, and reliably. Our project builds off of the USAFA 2019 iGEM project, PFAST, which aimed to design a bacterial PFAS biosensor to be used easily in air force field tests. We hope that our project can enhance the foundational work their team did by adding a T7 RNA polymerase amplification system which will vastly increase the amount our biosensor fluoresces. By keeping the signal to noise ratio high, we can use our biosensor with the naked eye rather than relying on advanced equipment to measure fluorescence levels. Additionally, we hope to improve the end product by lyophilizing our bacteria. This will make the biosensor easy to use since the bacteria can be hydrated and deployed quickly.