{"680964":{"#nid":"680964","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Point-of-Care Test Cracks Code for Cell-Free Protein Detection","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EChemical and biomolecular engineers at Georgia Tech have developed a plug-and-play platform for detecting protein biomarkers of disease that\u2019s simple, flexible, and easy to use without costly lab equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir work could unlock a new wave of at-home testing options and provide new diagnostic capabilities in parts of the world where medical resources are scarce.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe testing platform fills a gap in using cell-free synthetic biology for disease detection. Existing cell-free tools have proven effective at measuring DNA, RNA, and other small molecules, but not proteins. That\u2019s an important advance because proteins in viruses or bacteria tend to change less than the DNA or RNA sequences that encode those proteins. They\u2019re also easier to detect since they can be found on the outside of cell walls or free-floating in biofluids.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDiagnosing disease and democratizing medical care by putting it into the public\u0027s hands has great potential. You can have a big impact on a lot of people,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chbe.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/mark-styczynski\u0022\u003EMark Styczynski\u003C\/a\u003E, William R. McLain Endowed Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think about that a lot in terms of the developing world, but also there\u0027s a lot of healthcare inequality even in the United States. Studies have shown your ZIP code can determine your life expectancy. You can think about people in sub-Saharan Africa or people in rural Appalachia all benefiting. They\u2019re among those who need more access to low-cost tools.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/styczynski\/\u0022\u003EStyczynski\u003C\/a\u003E and a group of researchers led by former Ph.D. student Megan McSweeney \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.ado6280\u0022\u003Epresented their test in late February in the journal \u003Cem\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/point-care-test-cracks-code-cell-free-protein-detection\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERead the full story on the College of Engineering website.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith a flexible, no-equipment-needed platform, ChBE researchers are creating a new way to test for disease at home or anywhere medical resources are limited.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"With a flexible, no-equipment-needed platform, ChBE researchers are creating a new way to test for disease at home or anywhere medical resources are limited."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2025-03-06 16:34:32","changed_gmt":"2025-03-06 16:42:40","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676486":{"id":"676486","type":"image","title":"Mark-Styczynski-Protein-Biosensor-0372-h.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe team\u0027s modular cell-free protein biosensor platform produces a simple color output based on the amount of protein detected in a sample. That makes it easy for any user, without specialized training, to read the results of a test at home or in areas with limited access to medical resources. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1741278901","gmt_created":"2025-03-06 16:35:01","changed":"1741278901","gmt_changed":"2025-03-06 16:35:01","alt":"Five large vials and five small vials with colored liquid ranging from yellow to orange, red, and deep purple. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)","file":{"fid":"260283","name":"Mark-Styczynski-Protein-Biosensor-0372-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/06\/Mark-Styczynski-Protein-Biosensor-0372-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/06\/Mark-Styczynski-Protein-Biosensor-0372-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":205316,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/03\/06\/Mark-Styczynski-Protein-Biosensor-0372-h.jpg?itok=DmxSYo6z"}}},"media_ids":["676486"],"groups":[{"id":"1237","name":"College of Engineering"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"13510","name":"Mark Styczynski"},{"id":"9461","name":"Chemical and Biolmolecular Engineering"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}