Early detection of infectious diseases can be key to successful treatment, but we often don't know we are infected until symptoms appear. What if our bodies could detect the presence of an infectious pathogen before the onset of disease?

Synthetic biology engineers are finding ways to do just that.

Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological parts and systems, and the re-design of existing and natural biological systems for specific purposes.

With an eye toward early disease detection, synthetic biology engineers at the University of Wisconsin have designed and engineered bacteria that find and detect fragments of DNA shed from infectious pathogens. Because the DNA of a pathogen in an individual could be identified before the appearance of symptoms, the system offers the promise of extremely early detection of deadly diseases such as sepsis where rapid detection is critical for successful treatment.

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Phys.org, 2023.7.6, https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-dna-sensors.amp