SBIR Phase I: Biosensors to Detect and Characterize Genotoxins

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目创建了GeniStress Responder。GeniStress Responder是EkaTox毒理学诊断家族的一部分，EkaTox利用线虫比较基因组学的力量对人类进行毒理学预测。GeniStress Responder使用生物工程线虫识别和表征致突变和致癌化合物(遗传毒素)。多种类型的生物工程线虫被创建并排列到GeniStress Responder面板中。该小组的生物工程线虫成为遗传毒性活性的生物传感器。每个生物传感器的工作原理是使用特定的基因毒素敏感基因来驱动荧光蛋白编码序列的表达。暴露于特定的基因毒素会在GeniStress Responder面板中引发特定的活动模式。当已知的基因毒素在GeniStress Responder小组中产生特定的毒物基因组反应时，可行性被证明。这项研究的更广泛/商业影响是在市场上引入改进的遗传毒性诊断方法。目前的技术是不够的。没有单一的测试可以全面描述不同类型的样本的遗传毒性。市场需要一种易于使用的遗传毒性分析测试。GeniStress Responder在一个简单的诊断试剂盒中满足了对遗传毒性分析的市场需求。有了GeniStress Responder，与目前的技术相比，可以在更短的时间和更少的资源下确定有毒化合物的作用机制。GeniStress Responder的易用性将加速药物发现(癌症治疗)和环境毒理测试(化妆品、塑料、超级基金网站清理)。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project creates GeniStress Responder. GeniStress Responder is part of EkaTox, a family of toxicology diagnostics harnessing the power of comparative genomics in nematodes to make toxicology predictions in humans. GeniStress Responder identifies and characterizes mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds (genotoxins) using bioengineered nematodes. Multiple types of bioengineered nematodes are created and arranged into a GeniStress Responder panel. The panel's bioengineered nematodes become biosensors of genotoxic activity. Each biosensor works by using a specific genotoxin-sensitive gene to drive expression of a fluorescent-protein coding sequence. Exposure to a specific genotoxin elicits a specific pattern of activity in the GeniStress Responder panel. Feasibility is demonstrated when known genotoxins create specific toxicogenomic responses in the GeniStress Responder panel.The broader/commercial impacts of this research are introduction of improved genotoxicity diagnostics in the marketplace. Current technologies are inadequate. No single test is available to comprehensively profile different types of sample genotoxicity. The market needs an easy-to-use test for genotoxicity profiling. GeniStress Responder fills the market need for genotoxicity profiling in one simple diagnostic kit. With GeniStress Responder, a toxic compound's mechanism-of-action is determined in a shorter time and with fewer resources, than what can be achieved with current technology. GeniStress Responder's ease-of-use will accelerate drug discovery (cancer therapeutics) and environmental toxicology testing (cosmetics, plastics, super-fund site cleanup).