Sensynova - a new era of biosensors

Biosensor applications are wide-reaching, but their development is complex, inefficient, and uptake limited. We propose a new foundational paradigm for biosensor development; a modular, multicellular development platform, Sensynova. Biosensor designs were reviewed, identifying design-patterns of commonly used subcomponents and configurations. Separating biosensor subcomponents as modules, in different bacterial cells, promotes 'off-the-shelf' reuse. New sensors are developed simply by mixing proportions of these cells which communicate using small molecules. A synthetic biology dialogue helped derive designs for new modules (adaptors, detectors, processors, and reporters), and a proof-of-concept system. Cell-free, automation, developer requirements, target-specific knowledge, robustness, legislation, and end-user uptake were also investigated.