Morgan J. Anderson

NASA

Topic

Development of a Modular, Magnetically-Enhanced Electrochemical ELISA Total Analysis System for Astronaut Health Monitoring

Bio

Dr. Anderson is an analytical chemist and technologist working for Millennium Engineering
and Integration at the NASA Ames Research Center. He has over 14 years research
experience in electrochemistry, microfluidic design, cleanroom device fabrication, physics
modelling, and the development of novel sensing strategies. Dr. Anderson’s work focuses on
development of novel technologies for space health and life detection missions. Dr. Anderson
has contributed to 13 peer reviewed research publications and 3 patents. Additionally, Dr.
Anderson has experience in electronics, fabrication, programming, CAD, and physics modelling
making him invaluable on cross-collaborative teams consisting of scientists, technologists and
engineers. Over the past 8 years at the NASA Ames Research Center, Dr. Anderson has
mentored and trained 12 interns at various levels.

Abstract

As NASA's manned exploration programs advance toward more challenging missions including Martian spaceflight and long-term space habitation, novel technologies must be adapted for biomolecule detection. Such assays have potential applications in astronaut health monitoring and life detection in extraterrestrial environments. Consequently, new assays must be robust and highly sensitive in order to function in resource limited environments where
amplification methods, such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are not feasible.

Here we report on the development of a novel, magnetically-enhanced electrochemical
(MagEC) bioassay. The sensing strategy is similar to traditionally enzyme linked immunosorbent
assays (ELISAs) with optical detection. Our approach improves on traditional ELISA by using
magnetic microbeads to concentrate the beads into a small area and electrochemical detection,
resulting in a ~35-fold enhancement in limits of detection. Further, we’ve integrated this sensing
strategy into an enclosed flow cell to enhance automation and microgravity compatibility. Future
developments will adapt this sensor into a total analysis system capable of running multiple
assays from end-to-end and further optimizing the system for ultra-low limits of detection for life
detection applications.