Engineered Whole-Cell-Based Biosensors: Sensing Environmental Heavy Metal Pollutants in Water-a Review

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Heavy metal exposure causes severe health problems affecting major organs.
• Contamination of potable water with heavy metals impacts millions globally, incurring substantial costs.
• Effective water quality assessment is crucial for monitoring heavy metal contamination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review heavy metal toxicity mechanisms and highlight the need for sensing platforms.
• To summarize existing biosensor platforms for heavy metal detection.
• To discuss challenges and solutions related to whole-cell biosensors (WCBs).

Main Methods:

• Review of current knowledge on heavy metal toxicity.
• Elaboration of biosensor-based platforms, specifically WCBs.
• Analysis of challenges and solutions in WCB development.

Main Results:

• Heavy metals induce toxicity through various mechanisms, underscoring the need for detection methods.
• Whole-cell biosensors (WCBs) are effective for detecting bioavailable heavy metals.
• WCBs offer advantages over traditional sensors due to ease of manipulation and scalability.

Conclusions:

• Development of robust heavy metal sensing platforms is essential.
• WCBs represent a powerful tool for monitoring heavy metal contamination in water.
• Further research is needed to address challenges and optimize WCB technology for practical applications.