Astrobio Cubesat (ABCS)

Astrobio Cubesat [La Sapienza University of Rome]

Astrobio Cubesat or ABCS is an Italian technology demonstration 3U CubeSat by the La Sapienza University of Rome hosting a mini laboratory payload based on lab-on chip technology.

The objective of the Astrobio Cubesat project is to test an automatic laboratory based on lab-on-chip technology, able to provide a highly integrated in-situ multiparameter platform that uses immunoassay tests exploiting chemiluminescence detection. To perform the experiment, a paper-based later flow device will be used. The paper-based support will contain:

• biomolecules immobilized in specific test areas (i.e., enzyme in experiment 3, antibody in experiment 4, see the experiment list below);
• chemicals deposited in a non-permanent fashion and in a dry form in the initial part (starting area) of the microfluidic path (e.g., luminol and potassium ferricyanide): when the
• reagents-delivery-system provides a volume of a reagent or sample in the liquid form to the starting area, capillary forces will capture the liquid reagents and force them to flow along the paper-based microfluidic pathway. During the flow, liquid reagents will solubilize and transport along the path the deposited reagents, thus triggering specific reactions. As photon emission signals are recorded as a result of correct experiment execution, a photosensor will always be present in correspondence of each test area to detect the chemiluminescence reaction.

The experiments will aim at evaluating:

• the functional tests of the device (delivery of reagents, mixing of chemicals, detection of emitted photons, electronics, data storage and transmission);
• the stability of chemicals and biomolecules employed in the experiment and necessary for performing bioassays (e.g., immunoassays exploiting chemiluminescence detection) in space conditions for astrobiological investigations.