Using the properties of fireflies to detect contaminants in water: this is the outstanding result of research, developed in the Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" of the University of Bologna, scientific partner of the C.E.R. Consortium - Canale Emiliano Romagnolo. Fireflies, in fact, emit light by chemical reaction; one takes their gene and transfers it into a bacterial or yeast or mammalian cell and these cells can be reprogrammed, through synthetic biology, by lighting up with different colors in the presence of as many pollutants (PFAS, heavy metals, pesticides, toxins, endocrine disruptors, etc.). The cells being researched in the current research are, however, GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) and therefore, in our country, usable only in the laboratory; they can, however, be replaced in the environment by naturally bioluminescent marine bacteria for toxicity analysis or they can be reprogrammed through in vitro transcription and translation systems for field analysis, using low-cost and sustainable paper media that can be interfaced with smartphones for analysis and data reading.
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