Abstract
Human spaceflight endeavors present an opportunity to expand our presence beyond Earth. To this end, it is crucial to understand and diagnose effects of long‐term space travel on the human body. Developing tools for targeted, on‐site detection of specific DNA sequences will allow us to establish research and diagnostics platforms that will benefit space programs. We describe a simple DNA diagnostic method that utilizes colorimetric loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to enable detection of a repetitive telomeric DNA sequence in as little as 30 minutes. A proof of concept assay for this method was carried out using existing hardware on the International Space Station and the results were read instantly by an astronaut through a simple color change of the reaction mixture. LAMP offers a novel platform for on‐orbit DNA‐based diagnostics that can be deployed on the International Space Station and to the broader benefit of space programs.
Highlights
Spaceflight is linked to a number of molecular, cellular, and systems-level alterations in humans[1-5] and other organisms, such as mice,[6] fish,[7] insects,[8-10] bacteria,[11-13] and viruses.[14,15] different cell types in normal and disease states respond differentially to extended periods in microgravity.[16,17] To study these biological changes that impact human health during and after spaceflight, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other space agencies have established several platforms on the International Space Station (ISS) to enable advanced biological research.[18]
Taq DNA polymerase is routinely used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and is well suited for diagnostic PCRs where the readout is the presence or absence of an amplified DNA product
Our results indicate that telomeric repeats may be amplified in space without adaptations to the hardware or reaction conditions
Summary
Spaceflight is linked to a number of molecular-, cellular-, and systems-level alterations in humans[1-5] and other organisms, such as mice,[6] fish,[7] insects,[8-10] bacteria,[11-13] and viruses.[14,15] different cell types in normal and disease states respond differentially to extended periods in microgravity.[16,17] To study these biological changes that impact human health during and after spaceflight, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other space agencies have established several platforms on the International Space Station (ISS) to enable advanced biological research.[18]. Different cell types in normal and disease states respond differentially to extended periods in microgravity.[16,17] To study these biological changes that impact human health during and after spaceflight, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other space agencies have established several platforms on the International Space Station (ISS) to enable advanced biological research.[18]. A series of DNA analysis technologies such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative PCR and DNA sequencing have already been demonstrated on the ISS.[19-21] Completion of the experiments and interpretation of the results needs to be performed on the ground The goal of this Genes in Space 2 investigation was to develop a simple, one-step method to detect specific sequences of DNA aboard the ISS by a non-specialist astronaut. This assay could be adapted to monitor the length of astronauts’ telomeres during long-duration space flight and other DNA sequences of interest
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