(210c) Synthetic Biology Mediated Electrochemical Sensing Strategy

Synthetic biology enables integration of biomolecules with different functions in a modular manner toward desired applications. However, the output signal of current biochemical circuits primarily remains optical. We herein present strategies to apply electrochemistry to evaluate the performance of multi-function biochemical circuits. A CRISPR mediated primer-exchange-reaction based genetic circuit is designed toward probing specific regions of the genome of SARS-CoV-2. The output of the gene circuit is connected with a single-use, microfabricated gold sensing surface, enabling the direct translation of biomolecular information into electrical signal. The integration of electrochemistry into synthetic biology can lead to a new paradigm for sensor development and can also be a high-throughput interface for the investigation of large-scale gene circuits.