Smartphone-based multicolor bioluminescent 3D spheroid biosensors for monitoring inflammatory activity

Whole-cell biosensors present many advantages, including being able to monitor the toxicity and bioavailability of chemicals; cells grown in traditional 2D cultures, however, do not reproduce the complexity of in vivo physiology. In the last years, 3D cell-culture models have garnered great attention due to their capability to better mimic in vivo cellular responses to external stimuli, providing excellent model living organisms. In order to obtain a predictive, sensitive, and robust yet low-cost 3D cell biosensor, we developed a smartphone-based bioluminescent 3D cell biosensor platform for effect-based analysis. We exploited the Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-kB) signal transduction pathway, which is induced by several types of stressors and is involved in the regulation of cell-cycle/growth, inflammation, apoptosis, and immunity. The smartphone-based biosensor relies on immobilized HEK293 spheroids genetically engineered with powerful red- and green-emitting luciferases utilized as inflammation and viability reporters. It provides a limit of detection for Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNFα) of 0.15 ± 0.05 ng/mL and could be a useful tool to initially screen environmental samples or other compounds on-site, especially for additional more accurate chemical analyses.