(August 17, 2017) The “In Situ Bioanalysis” project of the Giacomo Ciamician Chemistry Department of Alma Mater in Bologna started on August 14 with SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral base on SpX-12 mission to reach International Space Station (ISS). It will be the astronaut Paolo Nespoli to test it on board tomorrow, in direct connection with Aldo Roda’s research team, at the Kayser Italia facilities in Livorno. The In Situ biosensor, born in the laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Bioanalytic of Alma Mater, will be experimented by Nespoli, on a Life mission on the Iss, to check in real-time its state of health through some chemical-clinical tests on saliva samples, obtained noninvasively. The data, collected on a laptop, will then be sent to the ground via telemedicine, allowing early diagnosis of possible disturbances and timely activation of appropriate pharmacological therapies. In detail, the research will focus on determining salivary cortisol levels, a stress biomarker. The same biosensor can subsequently be easily adapted for the analysis of other biomarkers that can be used to assess the psycho-physical condition of space crews. The payload consists of a set of disposable devices for collecting a saliva samples, a set of disposable Lfia Cartridges containing each reagent and fluidic to complete the sample analysis and a Chemo-luminescence reader based on a portable and ultra-sensitized CCD camera, connected to a on-board computer. The project is made in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was selected and funded by the Italian Space Agency (Asi). (Red)
