Scientists from Rutgers University have been part of a team developing a synthetic protein that can detect molecules of a deadly nerve agent that has been designated by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction and could be used in a chemical warfare attack.
Scientists believe this discovery could lead to the development of next-generation biosensors and treatments effective against VX, a chemical warfare agent.
The protein was developed using a custom design on high-speed computers in the labs at Rutgers University, as detailed in Science Advances.
Author and Rutgers Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine researcher Vikas Nanda explained, “We’ve made an artificial protein that binds a chemical target — in this case, the VX nerve agent” (CABM). “Our goal in developing this biosensor for chemical weapons was to have it produce a signal that could be coupled to an external device. As a result, we’ve accomplished our goal.”
VX, the most lethal and fast-acting chemical warfare agent known to science, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless synthetic compound. It does what it claims to do by disrupting normal nerve function, leading to temporary paralysis of the muscles and eventual death from asphyxiation. Countries are not allowed to keep VX on hand because it is considered a nuclear weapon. But countries can keep small amounts for study.
The researchers at Rutgers engineered the protein to contain a cavity that was the same size, shape, and chemical make-up as VX. Following the blueprint developed at Rutgers, researchers at City College of New York created a functional version of the protein, purified it, and then rushed a sample to MRIGlobal in Kansas City, Missouri, an authorized chemical weapon testing facility, on ice overnight. Within that time frame, the protein was put through its paces against VX.
Nanda, who is also a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, said, “The protein underwent a dramatic shape change, burying VX in the cavity we designed.” To quote the article: “This morphological shift is the signal that could be coupled to a sensor device.”
Nanda claims that the protein is a thousand times more sensitive to VX than existing technologies. In addition, unlike current sensors, which can misidentify non-nerve agent chemicals like some pesticides, the protein does not generate false positives when detecting nerve agents.
The website for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that VX or other nerve agents were used in chemical warfare during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Many experts on chemical weapons claim it has also been used in modern warfare and at least one assassination. There are antidotes for VX, but they work best if administered quickly after exposure.
A new generation of biosensors, therapeutics, and diagnostics should be possible using the presented design method, Nanda said.
The research included contributions from CABM doctoral candidate Douglas Pike. David Crouse of Clarkson University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and James McCann, Mia Brown, and Ronald Koder of City College of New York’s Department of Physics also participated in the research.
