'Virus Sensor' Distinguishes Environmental Hormones by Color

Development of Virus-Based Sensor Differentiating Harmful Substances by Color
Detecting Invisible Harmful Substances via Virus Reactivity
Developing Sensors to Identify Various Harmful Substances through Further Research

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have developed a technology that quickly detects and identifies harmful substances such as chemical agents and endocrine disruptors through color changes. Professors Youngmin Song of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and Jinwoo Oh of Pusan National University announced on the 27th that they have jointly developed a virus-based color sensor that detects harmful substances. The color sensor is also called a colorimetric sensor. It is a sensor that detects chemical elements and compounds through color changes.

Developing a Sensor to Detect Harmful Substances by Thinly Coating Viruses

A humidity-sensing color display designed to reveal patterns (e.g., water droplets) that are not visible to the naked eye but change color instantly according to surrounding humidity changes. This display applies a virus-based dynamic transformation layer to detect ambient humidity at a very fast speed.

The research team implemented the sensor by thinly coating M13 bacteriophage viruses over a wide area at the centimeter scale.

The M13 bacteriophage virus is harmless to humans and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It uses E. coli as a host to replicate its genes and increase its population. When harmful substances penetrate, it expands and widens the gaps between nanostructures. It is possible to express various chemical functional groups on its surface proteins.

The research team genetically modified the virus with these characteristics to enhance its responsiveness to various volatile organic compounds and endocrine disruptors. The team reported that they succeeded in distinguishing harmful substances with similar forms at low concentrations of several tens of ppb (parts per billion, one-billionth level).

Detecting Various Harmful Substances through Genetic Manipulation

The very thin dynamic conversion layer of the color sensor exhibits a fast response speed (top left of the figure: response speed of 110 ms due to moisture adsorption, bottom left of the figure: response speed of 190 ms due to moisture removal). Through genetic manipulation, selective reactivity was adjusted to enhance the ability to detect various harmful substances (center and right of the figure).

In particular, the research team designed a resonance amplification substrate to apply as a sensor platform that can realize distinct colors even with a thin virus layer (60 nanometers). Also, through the design of resonance conditions of the color-producing structure, the sensor remains invisible under normal conditions. However, when the sensor is exposed to specific environments, it reveals patterns, allowing intuitive observation of the presence of harmful substances.

Currently, the research team has developed a sensor that is invisible to the naked eye but changes color instantly according to surrounding humidity changes. The team plans to develop sensors that detect various harmful substances through further research.

Professor Youngmin Song said, "By applying nanometer-scale fibrous viruses, we induced binding between harmful substances and the color sensor, and through optical design, we enabled intuitive detection of harmful substances," adding, "We expect that more in-depth genetic manipulation and optimization of the platform for color sensors will enable intuitive and rapid detection of various harmful substances."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.