Detection of physiologically active compounds using cell-based biosensors

Cell-based biosensors are portable devices that contain living biological c ells that monitor physiological changes induced by exposure to environmenta l perturbations such as toxicants, pathogens or other agents. Methods of de tecting physiological changes include extracellular electrical recordings, optical measurements, and, in the future, functional genomics and proteomic s. Several technical developments are occurring that will increase the feas ibility of cell-based biosensors for field applications; these developments include stem cell and 3D culture technologies. Possible scenarios for the use of cell-based biosensors include broad-range detectors of unknown threa t agents and functional assessment of identified agents.