What if we could create clothing that harnesses synthetic biology to detect the wearer’s exposure to toxins and pathogens? A team of researchers at the Wyss Institute and M.I.T. did just that byembedding freeze-dried, synthetic biology-based sensors into flexible materials and textiles. These sensors can detect pathogens such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus and toxins such as nerve gas, creating the first programmable biohybrid garments.
Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University