Portable pathogen detectors based on a frog peptide

摘要

To detect bacterial contamination in food, water, and pharmaceutical products, researchers often use methods such as enzyme-linked immunoassays and polymerase chain reaction. But those methods rely on tools that suffer from shortfalls, such as short shelf-life, limited detection range, and lack of portability. Manu Mannoor et al. (pp. 19207-19212) have developed a biosensor based on a relatively long-lived peptide, called Magainin I, which forms a part of the naturally occurring antimicrobial arsenal on the skin of African clawed frogs.