LAB-ON-A-CHIP APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT-PORTABLE TEST SYSTEM (LOCAD-PTS)
Research Area: Air, Water and Surface Monitoring
Expedition(s): 14- 20
Principal Investigator(s): ● Norman R. Wainwright, PhD, Charles River Laboratories,
Charleston, South Carolina
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Lab-on-a-Chip Application Development-
Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) is a
handheld device used for rapid detection
of biological and chemical substances on
surfaces aboard the International Space
Station (ISS). Astronauts swab surfaces
with a specialized swabbing unit, which
dissolves the sample in water and
dispenses it into the LOCAD-PTS. Within 15
minutes, results are displayed on the
screen. The study's purpose is to
effectively provide a rapid indication of
biological cleanliness to help crew monitor
microorganisms in the ISS cabin
environment.
EARTH BENEFITS
Currently, the technology is being used to assess fluids used in pharmaceutical processing. The
technology has been used to swab the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), for planetary protection,
and to assess microbial contamination in the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations
(NEEMO) project. This technology will provide quick medical diagnostics in clinical applications.
It will also provide environmental testing capabilities that may serve homeland security.
SPACE BENEFITS
This commercial, off-the-shelf technology is applicable in many areas related to microbial
detection, crew health diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. The drastic reduction in
time for detection (minutes versus days) will provide a capability on ISS that does not currently
exist and may help risk mitigation in the event that some type of microbial build-up is observed.
Eventually, it is planned that LOCAD-PTS be used to assess water, air, and food supplies in
addition to surfaces. Other cartridges are being developed to perform limited crew health
diagnostics and monitor other biological molecules, such as protein and peptidoglycan, and
specific chemicals that pose a potential hazard to the crew, such as hydrazine and ammonia.
Astronaut Suni Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, works
with the LOCAD-PTS. Williams is placing the sample mixed
with water from the swabbing unit into the LOCAD-PTS
cartridge.