Biosensor Sniffs Out Explosives

Temple University School of Medicine researchers have developed a new biosensor that sniffs out explosives and could one day be used to detect landmines and deadly agents, such as sarin gas, according to a paper in the June issue of Nature Chemical Biology.

To create the biosensor, Danny Dhanasekaran and colleagues genetically engineered a yeast strain with mammalian (rat) olfactory signaling machinery and genetically linked it to the expression of green fluorescent protein. Into these yeast cells, they cloned individual rat olfactory receptors. When the olfactory receptor "smells" the odor of DNT, an ingredient in the explosive TNT, the biosensor turns fluorescent green. The research team is the first to identify, clone and sequence this novel olfactory receptor.

"We suspected that harnessing the potential of the olfactory system, which can detect innumerable chemical agents with unparalleled sensitivity and selectivity, would be of immense value in the detection of environmental toxins and chemical warfare agents even at sublethal levels," says Dhanasekaran, associate professor of biochemistry at Temple’s Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology.

The research team is now perfecting the utility of the biosensor, for example, its response time, and believes that the potential therapeutic applications extend beyond the detection of chemical agents.

"With further genetic fine-tuning of the olfactory receptor pathway, this system could also be used to screen experimental medications, a crucial step in the development of new drugs," says Dhanasekaran.

Biosensors, which are made from natural ingredients, are preferable to man-made sensors, which can be expensive, cumbersome and inflexible. Dhanasekaran envisions that the biosensor will soon be incorporated into a handheld device or a remote device that can be left at a location and monitored from afar.

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University Development Could Bring Terrorists To Justice Quickly

An Australian university has made a highly significant scientific development which promises to assist police to more efficiently apprehend terrorists responsible for bomb blasts using homemade explosives.

In a world first, the University of Tasmania has developed a portable explosives "fingerprint" device which can process and analyse the complex chemical residues from homemade bombs in minutes.

The briefcase size instrument, which works on a high voltage from a battery, allows scientists to separate and identify the individual chemicals left in complex residues after a bomb blast. These residues forma "fingerprint" which is used to identify the explosive used.

The instrument was developed by a team of 10 scientists in the extensive laboratories of the Australian Centre for Research On Separation Science (ACROSS). The device will add an important new dimension to forensic investigations and counter-terrorism measures.

Research leader Greg Dicinoski says the "ACROSS Portable Explosive Fingerprinter" device could give counter-terrorism authorities three distinct advantages:

• It is portable and can be taken onto most bomb sites
• Samples can be analysed on-site from miniscule levels of chemical residues
• Investigators will have the results in minutes and can start pursuing leads immediately

"This is a very exciting breakthrough for forensic science, and thepossibilities are enormous," Dicinoski says. "After a terrorist bombing, it can often take investigators considerable time using laboratory tests to find exactly the kind ofchemicals used to create the bomb. With the new portable technology it will be possible to identify the exact homemade explosive used within minutes, thus allowing investigators to trace large purchases of the particular chemicals involved."

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Homeland Security Legislation Mandates Uniform K-9 Standards

Canine detection teams are a critical element in increased demand for explosive detection since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, leading to the introduction of new bipartisan legislation in Congress.

In response to this increased need, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, ranking Republican and Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa.), chairman, of the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight joined together with full committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking Republican Peter King of New York to introduce H.R. 659, the "Canine Detection Improvement Act of2007."

This legislation addresses the need for improved and coordinated training, encourages the use of domestic dogs and confronts the need formore dogs by establishing a "Domestic Canine Breeding Grant Program" to increase canine numbers through both public and private means, the lawmakers say. Most importantly, the bill creates a canine team accreditation board to ensure proper certification standards and to prevent fraud and abuse, they add.

"Canine Detection Teams are critical to keeping America safe. This legislation is an important first step to ensuring that the supply of trained dogs will meet the nation's demand," says Thompson.

"This bipartisan, common sense legislation should help increase the use of domestically-bred dogs and support the work of canine breeding programs. Currently, the vast majority of these dogs are purchased in Europe, but by increasing domestic breeding we lower the costs of acquiring these dogs and ensure there are a sufficient number available for U.S. detection team training," Rogers adds.

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