Biosensors can detect rare earth elements for more efficient resource extraction.

Australian synthetic biologists have detected rare earth elements and have developed an innovative biosensor prototype that can be changed for various other applications.

Lantanide (LNS) is an element used in electronic devices, electric motors and batteries. The problem is that it is not enough to be extracted to meet the growing demand, and the current extraction method is expensive and environmentally damaged.

Professor Kiril Alexandroff and the Arc Excellence Center, a comprehensive biology of the Queensland Institute of Technology, create a molecular nanomachine that generates a signal that can be easily detected when selectively binding to LNS.

An article published in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition, the team explains hybrid proteins or “chimera” engineering by combining Lanm, a lantanide binding protein, and the antibiotic -degrading enzyme called Beta Lactamase.

This hybrid works like a “switch” that only becomes active when lantanide exists. It can be used to detect and quantify the liquid LNS, and generate visible changes or electrical signals.

Impressively, the bacteria modified by these chimera could survive in the existence of the killing antibiotics, but only when Lantanides existed. This emphasizes how protein reacts to these rare metals.

“The study will use biology to open the stimulating potential for detecting and recovering rare earth metals,” says Alexandrov. “Prototypes can also be changed for various biotechnology applications, such as building creatures that can detect and extract valuable metals.”

The research team is currently planning to work on enhancing the specificity of molecular switches, and is closely related to the close -related rare earth elements. We also investigate the possibility of developing other important factors switches. The team is actively discussing with potential industry partners who are interested in this technology.

“I would like to use tools to explore microorganisms that can directly extract rare earth minerals from seawater,” says Alexandroff.

“This is probably one of the best performance switches and gave many insights on the mechanism of protein switches.”