Krista Jackson
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2024-08-26
Time: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location / Meeting Link: Atwood 360

Committee Members:
Khalid Salaita, PhD (Advisor); Yonggang Ke, PhD; Gabriel Kwong, PhD; Hang Lu, PhD; Shuichi Takayama, PhD


Title: Incorporation of anomalous diffusion and functional nucleic acids for the design of novel motion-based biosensors for infectious pathogen detection

Abstract:
Infectious diseases remain a global burden on public health that requires rapid and sensitive detection to combat its spread and improve clinical outcomes. Conventional diagnostic methods are generally sensitive and specific, but are often time-consuming, costly, and require specialized equipment. Current point-of-care biosensors provide rapid results on-site but exhibit limitations such as relatively low sensitivity. Rolosense is a motion-based assay that overcomes these limitations by combining aptamer sandwiches with microparticles to generate facile, highly sensitive readout that can be imaged by simple microscopy and smartphones. However, the assay has only been characterized for its versatility in viral detection and relies on enzyme-powered motion. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a sensitive biosensor for bacterial and viral detection through Fuel-Free Rolosense (FFR) and to resolve remaining sources of noise that hinder optimal assay performance. Particle mobility in FFR is reliant on gravity and Brownian motion rather than nuclease functionality. First, I will tune the design of the DNA-functionalized particles to optimize aptamer affinity to its target protein. Next, I will use single particle tracking and machine learning-based techniques to characterize the effects of gravity on particle mobility to improve the reproducibility and sensitivity of motion-based readouts. Finally, I plan to expand the versatility of the assay for pathogen detection by incorporating aptamers that target surface proteins of Staphylococcus aureus, a highly infectious bacterium. Overall, through examining the interplaying effects of chemical and physical forces on particle motion in FFR, this work will provide novel methodologies for diagnostics to address the remaining challenges of infectious pathogen detection.