Biocompatible and Miniaturized Sensor Arrays for Physiological Monitoring During Long Term Space Flights - Fellowship for Morgan Abney

Among NASA's priorities is the development of technologies that will enable extended duration human exploration of space. An important requirement for the success of such missions is the availability of devices that provide efficient monitoring and maintenance of astronaut health. One important component of this health maintenance is analy1ical methodologies that can monitor health parameters reliably and in a way that does not interfere with the astronaut's daily activities. The overall objective of this investigation is to develop biocompatible and miniaturized sensors for use by NASA for physiological monitoring during long-term space flights. Specifically, we will investigate the use of antigenic protein disguise to create biocompatible sensors and study the miniaturization of these sensors using screen printing technology. While blood-contacting materials are available and are advantageous for short-term use, the use of these materials for long-term health monitoring is not effective. Hence, there is an increasing need for long-term sensing devices with better hemocompatibility. We will investigate the adsorption ofTp0483 to various functionalized surfaces as a method for improving hemocompatibility of sensors. Tp0483 is a naturally occurring protein that is known for its antigenic dish'llise. The adsorption ofTp0483 to the surfaces will be studied using surface plasmon resonance and hemocompatibility will be investigated by studying adsorption of plasma proteins and platelets to these surfaces. Finally, the sensor response will be optimized and screen-printing technology will be used to miniaturize these surfaces into sensor arrays. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop miniaturized and biocompatible sensor arrays that can be tailored for a broad spectrum of physiological sensing applications of interest to NASA. This project will include an active collaboration with investigators at NASA-Ames Research Center.