Phone Cameras May Soon Detect DNA Sequences

Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark have developed a new method that could enable the detection of specific DNA sequences using a smartphone camera. The technique uses engineered proteins that generate light when DNA is present, potentially making DNA testing faster, cheaper, and more accessible in food, healthcare, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.

The new approach replaces costly and time-consuming laboratory DNA analysis with a method that detects DNA through light signals captured by a phone's camera. Their research, published in Nature Communications, builds on the team's work in engineering molecules and synthetic cells to better understand how natural cells function.

The study demonstrates that specific DNA interactions can lead to simple, portable DNA detection systems. While the technology is not yet ready for everyday use, the findings show the potential for DNA analysis to be done quickly outside the laboratory, with broad, promising applications in biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, and environmental science.

For more information, read the article from Aarhus University.