New Bioluminescent Virus Sensor Is 515 Times More Efficient Than Earlier Techniques

Animals that generate their own light through internal chemical reactions are one of nature’s marvels—and scientists have long sought to replicate this for human applications.

Now, researchers at Mass General Brigham have made a major leap by tweaking the chemistry behind the glow, creating a bioluminescence diagnostic tool that’s 515 times brighter and lasts eight times longer than existing versions. Impressively, it retains 96% of its brightness after an hour, overcoming key limitations of current technologies.

How LUCAS Uses Nature’s Glow to Detect Viruses

Named the Luminescence CAscade-based Sensor (LUCAS), this tool harnesses nature’s bioluminescent chemistry—using luciferin, a light-emitting molecule, and the enzyme luciferase. While previous attempts have recreated this glow, they’ve struggled to maintain it.

LUCAS solves this by adding another enzyme, beta-galactosidase, which binds to luciferin and controls the release of its light. This makes the glow not only far brighter but also longer-lasting, enabling efficient detection and illumination of hard-to-spot virus particles in a single reaction.

“Creating accurate diagnostics is extremely difficult, especially given the tiny size of viruses and the complexity of biological fluids,” said senior author Hadi Shafiee of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Detecting an HIV particle in blood is like searching for an ice cube in a jelly-filled Olympic pool while blindfolded. LUCAS, with its innovative enzyme cascade, represents a major advance in detecting viruses in such challenging samples.”

LUCAS Shows Promise in Detecting Multiple Viruses Across Sample Types

The team tested LUCAS on 177 patient samples and 130 serum samples, all spiked with viruses including SARS-CoV-2, HIV, HBV, and HCV. COVID-19 samples came from nasal swabs, while others were collected through blood. Impressively, LUCAS identified the viruses in just 23 minutes with an average accuracy of over 94%.

Encouraged by these results, the researchers plan to use LUCAS to detect pathogens in other fluids and explore its ability to identify multiple viruses at once. They also note the tool’s portability and simplicity make it promising for detecting other disease markers, such as those linked to Alzheimer’s.

“Early detection of infection and disease is critical—it can significantly impact treatment and long-term health,” said first author Sungwan Kim, a postdoctoral researcher in Shafiee’s lab. “By creating diagnostic tools that are highly sensitive, reliable, and easy to use, our goal is to make early diagnosis more accessible and help move personalized care forward.”

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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