Taylor Moehling

Biography

Since starting in September of 2020, Taylor’s work at Sandia has focused on a COVID-19 research project. She is characterizing a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay targeting SARS-CoV-2. LAMP has a rapid turnaround time and uses simple equipment, making it an ideal molecular detection mechanism for pathogens at the point of need. Currently, Taylor is optimizing the RT-LAMP assay for detection of SARS-CoV-2 directly from human saliva and nasal samples, eliminating the need for sample preparation steps. A major obstacle that prevents the widespread translation and use of nucleic acid amplification techniques, such as LAMP, is the required cold-chain storage of reagents. Taylor is actively investigating the effects of RT-LAMP reagent lyophilization and subsequent room temperature storage on assay performance. In addition to these ongoing experiments, she is interested in pathogen enrichment mechanisms that could further improve the sensitivity and reliability of isothermal techniques such as LAMP. Ultimately, Taylor aims to translate molecular assays from the laboratory to the point of need in hopes of improving access to accurate testing, thereby reducing uncontrolled spread of infectious diseases.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree: Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Master’s Degree: Public Health, Purdue University

Doctoral Degree: Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Sandia National Laboratories

Selected Publications

• Meyerson, B.E., Moehling, T.J., Agley, J.D., Coles, H.B., Phillips, J. Insufficient Access: Naloxone Availability to Laypersons in Arizona and Indiana, 2018. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. (in press, 32:1, 2021).
• Moehling, T.J.*, Choi, G.*, Dugan, L.C., Salit, M., Meagher, R.J. LAMP Diagnostics at the Point of Care: Emerging Trends and Perspectives for the Developer Community. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics. (2021). DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2021.1873769
• Moehling, T.J.*, Lee, D.H.*, Henderson, M.E., McDonald, M.K., Tsang, P.H., Kaakeh, S., Kim, E.S., Wereley, S.T., Kinzer-Ursem, T.L., Clayton, K.N., Linnes, J.C. A Smartphone-Based Particle Diffusometry Platform for Sub-Attomolar Detection of Vibrio cholerae in Environmental Water. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112497
• Meyerson, B.E., Agley, J.D., Jayawardene, W., Eldridge, L.A., Arora, P., Smith, C., Vadiei, N., Kennedy, A., Moehling, T.J., and PharmNet Research Team. Feasibility of a Pharmacy-Based Harm Reduction Intervention to Reduce Opioid Overdose, HIV and Hepatitis C – Indiana.  Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.08.026
• Byers, K.M., Lin, L.K., Moehling, T.J., Stanciu, L, Linnes, J.C. Versatile Printed Microheaters to Enable Low-Power Thermal Control in Paper Diagnostics. Analyst. (2019). DOI:10.1039/c9an01546a
• Phillips, E.A.*, Moehling, T.J.*, Ejendal, K.F.K., Hoilett, O.S., Byers, K.M., Basing, L.A., Jankowski, L.A., Bennett, J.B., Lin, L.K., Stanciu, L., Linnes, J.C. Microfluidic Rapid and Autonomous Analytical Device (microRAAD) to Detect HIV RNA from Whole Blood Samples. Lab on a Chip. (2019). DOI: 10.1039/C9LC00506D
• Clayton, K.N.*, Moehling, T.J.*, Lee, D.H., Wereley, S.T., Linnes, J.C., Kinzer-Ursem, T.L. Particle Diffusometry: An Optical Detection Method for Vibrio cholerae Presence in Environmental Water Samples. Nature Scientific Reports. (2019). 9; DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38056-7
• Phillips, E.A., Moehling, T.J., Bhadra, S., Ellington, A.D., Linnes, J.C. Strand Displacement Probes Combined with Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification for Instrument-Free Detection from Complex Samples. Analytical Chemistry. (2018). 90: 6580−6586; DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b00269
• Zhang, Q., Ding, Y., He, K., Li, H., Gao, F., Moehling, T.J., Wu, X., Duncan, J., Niu, Q. Exposure to Alumina Nanoparticles in Female Mice During Pregnancy Induces Neurodevelopmental Toxicity in the Offspring. Frontiers in Pharmacology. (2018). 9; DOI: 10.3389/fpharm.2018.00253
• Marshall, C., Grosskopf, V., Moehling, T.J., Tillotson, B., Wiepz, G., Abbott, N., Shusta, E. An Evolved Mxe GyrA Intein for Enhanced Production of Fusion Proteins. ACS Chemical Biology. (2014). 10 (2): 527-538; DOI: 10.1021/cb500689g

* indicates co-first author