Toward Logic-Based Nucleic Acid Transducer Networks

Additional Funding Sources

The project described was supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 1706065.

Abstract

Research in disease detection and diagnosis has established links between specific diseases and the presence of certain biomarkers found in bodily fluids. These biomarkers include micro-RNAs (miRNAs), which are small RNA molecules related to gene regulation and can be found in the blood stream. The presence of certain types of cancers alters the relative concentrations of certain miRNAs. Thus, detection and quantification of miRNA concentrations could enable a new type of blood test for a number of cancers. Here, we describe our efforts to implement logic-based DNA reaction networks for detection and quantification of miRNAs. Our system consists of a DNA transducer that implements Boolean logic for comparative detection of specific miRNA sequences. If the specific miRNAs are present, the transducer produces an output signal that initiates an amplification network, which produces a change in the solution color that can be detected by eye. Here, we present our system design and preliminary data.

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Toward Logic-Based Nucleic Acid Transducer Networks

Research in disease detection and diagnosis has established links between specific diseases and the presence of certain biomarkers found in bodily fluids. These biomarkers include micro-RNAs (miRNAs), which are small RNA molecules related to gene regulation and can be found in the blood stream. The presence of certain types of cancers alters the relative concentrations of certain miRNAs. Thus, detection and quantification of miRNA concentrations could enable a new type of blood test for a number of cancers. Here, we describe our efforts to implement logic-based DNA reaction networks for detection and quantification of miRNAs. Our system consists of a DNA transducer that implements Boolean logic for comparative detection of specific miRNA sequences. If the specific miRNAs are present, the transducer produces an output signal that initiates an amplification network, which produces a change in the solution color that can be detected by eye. Here, we present our system design and preliminary data.