Synthetic biology yields a dinuclear copper based antibody for the naked-eye detection of glyphosate

The design and construction of synthetic antibodies capable of recognizing selectively antigens is an important challenge for synthetic biology and bio-engineering. Here, we develop a step towards the construction of de novo synthetic antibodies using a new combinatorial based approach. The bioconstruct incorporates supramolecularly a self assembling inorganic complex into a protein thus creating a modular and evolvable receptor. We used a dinuclear copper based inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase to program host-guest recognition, which in the presence of glyphosate generates a selective naked-eye sensing. The construct was used to detect the pesticide in complex samples. Taken together, our results provide new opportunities for the combinatorial optimization and evolution of our synthetic antibodies. Our assay is geared and designed specifically towards the mimic of natural antibodies but with features reminiscent of both synthetic biology and inorganic chemistry. In the near future, we anticipate evolution and artificial intelligence protocols dedicated to fine tune our host for the optimal recognition of a multitude of analytes.