A new biodetector made with the body's own immune system cells literally lights up when it encounters anthrax

A new biodetector made with the body's own immune system cells literally lights up when it encounters anthrax, plague or other deadly germs, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. The sensor could be a quicker and more straightforward way to detect a biological attack than current methods, the researchers said. It uses B cells -- the immune system cells that produce the antibodies that in turn seek out invaders, said inventor Todd Rider of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Such methods try to mimic natural processes by looking for specific genes or proteins produced by a pathogen. Rider lets the B cells do the work. Rider's method, described in Friday's issue of the journal Science, uses mouse B cells that have been genetically engineered in two ways. The team has named the sensor Canary, for cellular analysis and notification of antigen risks and yields.