Publications

A fully-integrated aptamer-based affinity assay platform for monitoring astronaut health in space

Sommer, G.J.; Hecht, A.H.; Durland, R.H.; Yang, X.; Singh, Anup K.; Hatch, Anson H.

Here we demonstrate the suitability of robust nucleic acid affinity reagents in an integrated point-of-care diagnostic platform for monitoring proteomic biomarkers indicative of astronaut health in spaceflight applications. A model thioaptamer[1] targeting nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-KB) is evaluated in an on-chip electrophoretic gel-shift assay for human serum. Key steps of i) mixing sample with the aptamer, ii) buffer exchange, and iii) preconcentration of sample were successfully integrated upstream of fluorescence-based detection. Challenges due to i) nonspecific interactions with serum, and ii) preconcentration at a nanoporous membrane are discussed and successfully resolved to yield a robust, rapid, and fully-integrated diagnostic system.