Our research seeks to design a low-cost reliable whole cell biosensor for the detection of PFAS chemicals in water. We have applied and improved upon work first proposed by scientists at the University of Virginia in 2023, who suggested that PFAS accumulates in the liver and binds to liver fatty acid proteins. This led to the creation of a plasmid to be integrated into E. coli Strain BL-21 that will express a novel split human liver fatty acid binding protein fused to a circularly permuted green fluorescent protein marker. The fluorinated alkyl chains of the PFAS chemicals contain similar hydrophobic properties to liver fatty acid tails. This will allow the hLFABP-GFP fusion protein to attach to any PFAS in the water and emit fluorescence.  Our sensor will be enhanced by a coating of gold nanoparticles that will increase its limit of detection in order to meet the newly established EPA standard of 4 ppt for PFAS in water.