Biosensor system for the rapid detection of analytes

A system for rapid detection of analytes, comprising:

• (a) a living, engineered biosensor cell, wherein the living, engineered biosensor cell is derived from a cellular component of a mammalian immune system, and wherein the living, engineered biosensor cell expresses a plurality of at least one predetermined type of receptor molecule on the surface thereof;
• (b) a reporter protein, wherein the reporter protein is engineered into and expressed by the living, engineered biosensor cell, and wherein the reporter protein emits a detectable signal in response to certain predetermined cytosolic changes in the living, engineered biosensor cell;
• (c) a signal transduction pathway engineered into or occurring naturally within the living, engineered biosensor cell, wherein the signal transduction pathway controls a biological process within the cytosol of the living, engineered biosensor cell, and wherein the biological process, when it occurs, causes the reporter protein to emit a detectable signal;
• (d) at least one type of detector molecule, wherein each detector molecule is adapted to bind to a specific analyte;
• (e) at least one analyte, wherein the at least one analyte binds to the detector molecule that is specific to that analyte;
• (f) a plurality of soluble non-antibody signal transducing elements, wherein each soluble signal transducing element is adapted to bind to a receptor molecule on the surface of the living, engineered biosensor cell and to a detector molecule, and wherein the receptor molecule is operative to activate the signal transduction pathway engineered into or occurring naturally within the living, engineered biosensor cell;
• and
• (g) wherein upon the binding of a sufficient number of analytes to a sufficient number of the detector molecules to a sufficient number of the non-antibody signal transducing elements that are themselves bound to the cell surface receptor molecules, an aggregation of the receptor molecules occurs, the signal transduction pathway is activated, the biological process occurs, and the detectable signal is emitted by the reporter protein.