SCENTIPD

Our project is concerned with the early detection of Parkinson's Disease by the semi-quantification of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) from skin sebum, using the M13 bacteriophage as a colorimetric biosensor. This technique utilizes the phage's capsid proteins, which can obtain affinity for the target compounds through genetic engineering. This procedure is being currently used for other purposes, including TNT detection. After the VOC-protein binding has occurred, the phages “swell”, changing the way they interact with light and finally giving off a different color. This color is structural (not dependent on dyes) and non-iridescent (not affected by the viewing angle), and can then be captured and quantified by a camera. The desired peptide sequence for each VOC is typically derived through phage display, although bioinformatic techniques can also be used for the same outcome, namely molecular docking.