Our Integrative Health and Performance Sciences team has been doing great work in 2020! Now's an ideal time to read up on scientific publications, so we wanted to highlight a few exciting studies this division has put out recently. Take a look at these human performance-related abstracts and click on the title to find the full abstract or article of any you want to learn more about.
Read also: UES Wins Molecular Assessment Sensing Technologies (MAST) Award
Impact of Self-Assembled Monolayer Design and Electrochemical Factors on Impedance-Based Biosensing
Michael C. Brothers, David Moore*, Michael St. Lawrence, Jonathan Harris, Ronald M. Joseph*, Erin Ratcliff, Oscar N. Ruiz, Nicholas Glavin, and Steve S. Kim *UES Div. 30
Sensors, 20(8), 2246 DOI: 10.3390/s20082246
Abstract excerpt: "Real-time sensing of proteins, especially in wearable devices, remains a substantial challenge due to the need to convert a binding event into a measurable signal that is compatible with the chosen analytical instrumentation. Impedance spectroscopy enables real-time detection via either measuring electrostatic interactions or electron transfer reactions while simultaneously being amenable to miniaturization for integration into wearable form-factors. To create a more robust methodology for optimizing impedance-based sensors, additional fundamental studies exploring components influencing the design and implementation of these sensors are needed. This investigation addresses a sub-set of these issues by combining optical and electrochemical characterization to validate impedance-based sensor performance...Using a pre-existing lysozyme aptamer and lysozyme analyte combination, we demonstrate a number of design criteria to advance the state-of-the-art in protein sensing...Collectively, these results can help limit bottlenecks associated with device development, enabling realization of next-generation impedance-based biosensing with customize sensor design for the specific application."
Engineering Probiotics for Therapeutic Applications: Recent Examples and Translational Outlook
Nikhil Aggarwal, Amy M. Ehrenworth Breedon, Christina M. Davis, In Young Hwang, and Matthew Wook Chang
Curr. Opin. Biotech., 65, 171-179 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.02.016
Abstract: “Engineered probiotics are the next generation of live biotherapeutics that have been genetically modified to target specific diseases. With the advancements in synthetic biology, the engineering of probiotics has become increasingly sophisticated which has led to the development of therapies for treating cancer, infection, metabolic disorders and inflammation, as well as for diagnosing and preventing them. Herein, we review some of the recent examples of probiotics which have been engineered to target such diseases. Although there are numerous examples of engineered probiotics showing efficacy in animal models, there are no approved products on the market with very few in clinical trials. Therefore, we also discuss a set of features that may be incorporated into engineered probiotics to aid in clinical translation and ultimately, realizing the potential of these biotherapeutics.”
In Situ Linkage of Fungal and Bacterial Proliferation to Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion in B20 Biodiesel Storage Tanks
Blake W. Stamps, Caitlin L. Bojanowski, Carrie A. Drake*, Heather S. Nunn, Pamela F. Lloyd*, James G. Floyd, Katelyn A. Berberich, Abby R. Neal, Wendy J. Crookes-Goodson and Bradley S. Stevenson *UES Div. 30 and 50
Front. Microbiol. 11: 167 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00167
Abstract excerpt: “...Microbial proliferation and fuel degradation in biodiesel blends has been linked to microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), but this has not been studied previously in situ. We, therefore, conducted a yearlong study of B20 storage tanks in operation at two locations, identified the microorganisms associated with visible fuel fouling, and measured in situ corrosion... This study identified the relationship between fouling of B20 with increased rates of corrosion and the microorganisms responsible, largely at the bottom of the sampled storage tanks.”
Poised Potential is Not an Effective Strategy to Enhance Bio-Electrochemical Denitrification Under Cyclic Substrate Limitations
Taymee A. Brandon, Blake W. Stamps, Ashton Cummings, Tianyu Zhang, XinWang, and Daqian Jiang
Sci. Total Environ., 713, 136698, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136698
Abstract excerpt: “Bio-electrochemical denitrification (BED) is a promising organic carbon-free nitrate remediation technology. However, the relationship between engineering conditions, biofilm community composition, and resultant functions in BED remains under-explored. This study used deep sequencing and variation partitioning analysis to investigate the compositional shifts in biofilm communities under varied poised potentials in the batch mode, and correlated these shifts to reactor-level functional differences....The findings suggest that while enriching the key species may be critical in improving the functional efficiency of BED, poised potentials may not be an effective strategy to achieve the desired level of enrichment in substrate-limited real-world conditions.”
Air2Liquid Method for Selective, Sensitive Detection of Gas-Phase Organophosphates
Michael C. Brothers, Sungbong Kim, Doug Adkins, Pat Lewis, Joshua E. Smith, Diana Ostojich, Steve S. Kim, John A. Rogers, and H. Mitchell Rubenstein
ACS Sens. 5, 1, 13-18 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.9b01624
Abstract excerpt: “...Here, we present a novel proof-of-concept that combines an Air2Liquid sampler in conjunction with an oil-in-water microfluidic assay for detection of organophosphates. We believe this proof-of-concept will enable development of a new platform technology for semivolatile detection that we have demonstrated to detect 50 pmoles (2 ppb) of neurotoxic organophosphates.”
Characterization of Standardized Breath Sampling for Off-line Field Use
Sean W Harshman, Rhonda L Pitsch, Christina N Davidson, Alexander M Scott, Elizabeth M Hill, Zachary K Smith, Kraig E Strayer, Nicole M Schaeublin, Taylor L Wiens, Michael C Brothers, Grant M Slusher, Megan L Steele, Brian A Geier, Maomian Fan, Leslie A Drummond, and Jennifer A Martin
Breath Res., 14 016009, DOI: 10.1088/1752-7163/ab55c5
Abstract excerpt: “Due to several sources of potential variability associated with exhaled breath bag sampling procedures for off-line analysis, the Respiration Collector for in vitro Analysis (ReCIVA) sampler was developed. Although designed to improve upon several pitfalls of sampling with exhaled breath bags, the ReCIVA remains a minimally studied research tool. In this manuscript, several attributes of the ReCIVA sampler are investigated...Collectively, these results establish a method for manually calibrating the flow of the ReCIVA device to allow for the most consistent results. These data support further experimentation into the use of the ReCIVA sampler for exhaled breath research.”
Quantification of Interlaboratory Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Variability
Stephanie D. Cole*, Kathryn Beabout*, Kendrick B. Turner, Zachary K. Smith, Vanessa L. Funk, Svetlana V. Harbaugh, Alvin T. Liem, Pierce A. Roth, Brian A. Geier, Peter A. Emanuel, Scott A. Walper, Jorge L. Chávez, Matthew W. Lux *Authors contributed equally
ACS Synth. Biol., 8, 9, 2080-2091, DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00178
Abstract excerpt: “...Here we offer the first quantitative assessment of interlaboratory variability in CFPS [cell-free protein synthesis]. Three laboratories implemented a single CFPS protocol and performed a series of exchanges, both of material and personnel, designed to quantify relative contributions to variability...We anticipate that our results will narrow future avenues of investigation to develop best practices that will ultimately drive down interlaboratory variability, accelerating research progress and informing the suitability of CFPS for real-world applications.”
Read also: New Materials Characterization Insights Shared at TMS 2020
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