“Structural and evolutionary approaches to the design and optimization of fluorescence-based small molecule biosensors” – new review paper

Our latest Current Opinion in Structural Biology review on the structural and evolutionary approaches to the design of fluorescence-based small-molecule biosensors is available online now (https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1YeAO_,2BdUwRJk).

In this paper, we outline current and emerging approaches for designing and optimizing genetically encoded small-molecule biosensors: using naturally-occurring sensory proteins as scaffolds for building sensors recognition domains, strategies for engineering and optimizing ligand specificity, creating novel biosensor architecture, and engineering fluorescent proteins with desirable properties to optimize biosensor output. We also discuss the importance of linker design in the overall process, and explore how computational and high-throughput methods are aiding biosensor design. Throughout the review we highlight several outstanding recent research articles that have used a combination of these techniques to produce novel genetically encoded small-molecule biosensors for applications in research, medicine and neuroscience.