Method and system of detecting dioxin-like compounds

A method of detecting dioxin or a dioxin-like compound in a test sample, wherein the dioxin-like compound is selected from the group consisting of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and polychlorinated biphenyls, comprising:

• providing a cell-free system comprising whole cell lysates that are non-viable cell suspensions obtained by culturing a cell line transfected to co-express an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) fused to a reporter peptide, and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) to form a complex of AHR and HSP90 in the cell line, harvesting and lysing the whole cells, and removing the cell debris;
• contacting the test sample with the whole cell lysates for a period of time sufficient to induce a change of the detectable signal generated by the reporter peptide fused to AHR when the AHR degrades upon the presence of the dioxin or dioxin-like compound;
• and
• detecting the change of the detectable signal of the reporter peptide fused to AHR as indicative of the level of the degradation of AHR and comparing to a reference signal-generated by the cell free system with known concentrations of dioxin or a dioxin-like compound, thereby determining the presence or amount of the dioxin or dioxin-like compound in the test sample.