Alphanumerical Visual Display Made of DNA Logic Gates for Drug Susceptibility Testing of Pathogens

Abstract

Molecular diagnostics of drug-resistant pathogens require the analysis of point mutations in bacterial or viral genomes, which is usually performed by trained professionals and/or by sophisticated computer algorithms. We have developed a DNA-based logic system that autonomously analyzes mutations found in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) bacteria and communicates the output to a human user as alphanumeric characters read by the naked eye. The five-gate system displays "O" ("no infection") for the absence of MTC infection and "P" or "F" for passing or failing a drug-susceptibility test, respectively.

Keywords: DNA logic gates; G-quadruplexes; deoxyribozymes; peroxidases; rifampin susceptibility.