Lab in a cell: A bioautomated and biointegrated whole-cell biosensing platform for food hazards analysis

Background

Traditional on-site food hazard detection is challenged by an ‘impossible triangle’ of accuracy, cheapness, and ease of use, further constrained by food matrix interference and complex sample preparation. Nonetheless, such detection and analysis are critical for the control and reduction of foodborne diseases, particularly in resource-limited areas. Fortunately, the recent advent of whole-cell biosensors (WCB) can provide novel solutions to improve on-site detection.

Scope and approach

This review presents the most recent advances in WCB application for the on-site detection of food hazards. It further proposes the concepts of bioautomation and biointegration as leading trends in this field to achieve simultaneously accurate, low-cost, and user-friendly detection. We illustrate that biosensors are capable of realizing sample pre-processing functions through genetic circuits. In particular, we discuss a synthetic biology-based approach to the construction of multifunctional gene modules in microorganisms for the development of a ‘Lab in a Cell’ to alleviate the reliance on traditional chemical reagents and manual manipulation. Finally, challenges and future developments for ‘Lab in a Cell’, such as its artificial intelligence (AI)-aided design, are discussed.

Key findings and conclusion

Bioautomated and biointegrated ‘Lab in a Cell’ devices are promising tools for the integration of target enrichment, transformation, and detection into a single cell, thus helping to overcome the challenges inherent in traditional field testing.