The invention exploits the evolutionary principles responsible for the development of the broad spectrum general odorant detector system, to crate a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) based system capable of detecting and discriminating between thousands of chemicals. The means is to subject a defined set of receptors such as G-protein coupled receptors, tyrosine kinase receptors, and/or ion channels, to the types of evolutionary forces that have created the array of approximately 1,000 natural receptors used in general olfaction by higher animals. This goal is accompolished by 'directed evolutionin-a-test-tube' by imposing very high rates of mutation and extremely strict selection criteria to create a sensor. The novel sensor is selected using a sensitive melanophore-based functional bioassay. Stimulation of the sensor upon interaction with chemical signatures derived from ordinances will result in a calcium ion flux rapidly detectable as a fluorescent signal.
DIRECTED EVOLUTION BIOSENSORS