Academic Journal
CRISPR Biosensing for Environmental Monitoring: Workflow Design and Performance Benchmarking.
| Title: | CRISPR Biosensing for Environmental Monitoring: Workflow Design and Performance Benchmarking. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Wang S; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Clarkson University 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, New York13699, United States., Hasan R; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Clarkson University 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, New York13699, United States. |
| Source: | Environmental science & technology [Environ Sci Technol] 2026 Jul 28; Vol. 60 (29), pp. 20150-20173. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Review |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: American Chemical Society Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0213155 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1520-5851 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0013936X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Environ Sci Technol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Washington DC : American Chemical Society Original Publication: Easton, Pa. : American Chemical Society, c1967- |
| MeSH Terms: | Environmental Monitoring* , Biosensing Techniques* , Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats*, Benchmarking ; Workflow |
| Abstract: | CRISPR-based biosensing has rapidly emerged as a promising platform for environmental monitoring due to its high specificity, programmability, and compatibility with portable readouts. However, translation from biomedical diagnostics to environmental matrices remains challenging because of diverse sample types, complex inhibitors, and the breadth of biological and chemical targets. This Review provides a comprehensive analysis of CRISPR-based sensing technologies tailored for environmental contaminant detection, spanning both biological and chemical targets. We systematically evaluate published studies across target classes, Cas effectors, recognition mediators, sample matrices, pretreatment strategies, preamplification or signal-gain approaches, readout modalities, and reported performance metrics. To support practical implementation, we summarize a five-step experimental framework for environmental CRISPR sensing. We then propose a decision-guided design flowchart that links monitoring goals and matrix constraints to the selection of effectors, mediator-enabled transduction routes, pretreatment modules, amplification strategies, readouts, and validation controls. We further benchmark reported detection limits by normalizing units and comparing trends across preamplification-aided versus preamplification-free designs and by contextualizing performance against relevant regulatory or guideline thresholds when available. Across the literature, most studies rely on spiked-matrix validation, highlighting the need for broader nonspiked real environmental sample testing and more transparent reporting of sampling, pretreatment, and performance evaluation. Finally, we advocate standardized data reporting, including consistent units, workflow metadata, and matrix-matched validation, to enable cross-study comparison and accelerate the deployment of CRISPR-based sensors for real-world environmental monitoring. (© 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.) |
| Grant Information: | C190175 New York State Center of Excellence in Health Water Solutions; CBET 2347207 U.S. National Science Foundation |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: CRISPR–Cas; biosensing; environmental monitoring; regulatory threshold; sample pretreatment; workflow design |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260711 Date Completed: 20260729 Latest Revision: 20260729 |
| Update Code: | 20260730 |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.est.6c02006 |
| PMID: | 42434939 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
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