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Synthetic microbial co-cultures for modular bioelectronic sensing in diverse environments.
Siliang Li1, Duolong Zhu2, Kundan Saha3,4
1Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|October 3, 2025
Summary
We developed a modular microbial bioelectronic sensor platform (e-COSENS) for low-cost environmental and health monitoring. This plug-and-play system enables rapid detection of various analytes using engineered bacteria and simple electronics.
Area of Science:
- Microbial biotechnology
- Bioelectronic sensors
- Environmental monitoring
Background:
- Human impact on ecosystems necessitates low-cost, portable sensors for global health.
- Microbial bioelectronic sensors offer electrical signaling for field deployment.
- Current sensor designs lack modularity and rely on specialized equipment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a modular, plug-and-play platform for developing microbial bioelectronic sensors.
- To enable versatile analyte detection using engineered bacterial co-cultures.
- To facilitate low-cost, portable signal readout for field applications.
Main Methods:
- Developed the electroactive co-culture sensing system (e-COSENS) with sender and receiver bacteria.
- Engineered sender bacteria to produce electron mediators in response to specific analytes.
- Utilized receiver bacteria and extracellular electron transfer (EET) for signal generation.
- Designed a compact device for readout with a standard digital multimeter.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated modularity by swapping sender bacteria for sensing metals, small molecules, and peptides.
- Achieved detection in diverse environmental, food, and human-relevant settings.
- Validated low-cost, portable signal readout using a centimeter-sized device and multimeter.
Conclusions:
- The e-COSENS platform simplifies bioelectronic sensor design and development.
- This system offers significant potential for widespread, low-cost environmental and health monitoring.
- Modular microbial bioelectronic sensors are a promising tool for addressing global health challenges.
