Research Assistant Wanted
A dedicated graduate student is needed to participate in a project as summarized below.
Eligibility
1. Apply for the graduate program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, US.
https://www.uaf.edu/gradsch/prospective/when-and-how-to-apply/
2. Interested in pursuing a Ph.D. degree with a thesis work on biomedical engineering research
3. With B.S. major in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering, with a solid base on
fundamental biology.
4. Experience in electrophoresis and simple circuit design is a plus.
Project Period
Now – 7/31/2018
Benefits
Paid tuition, monthly allowance, and summer compensations.
Contact
Prof. Cheng-fu Chen,
University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK 99775. US. cf.chen@alaska.edu, +1 (907) 474-7265
Project Title:
A Vertical Comet Assay for Measuring DNA Damage to Radiation
When exposed to radiation, single and double strand-breaks in cellular DNA are produced. The amount of strandbreaks can therefore be correlated to the extent of damage to cells under radiation. One of the most convenient
models to study DNA damage and repair process in the live cells is the comet assay, or single cell gel
electrophoresis technique. This technique is currently configured to conduct a measurement on live cells under
laboratory set-ups. Therefore, quite often the existing comet assay is not suitable for “in field” applications.
Development of a simple and sensitive technique would allow researchers to study crucial cellular processes
outside of laboratory boundaries and open possibilities for evaluating many environmental exposures currently
unobtainable.
In this project we are aimed at developing a new technique, we call it vertical comet or v-comet, to measure the
level of DNA damage in live cells or fix-preserved cellular DNA samples. (Here for fix-preserved DNA sample we
mean a DNA-agarose mixture obtained per the steps, first embed live cells in agarose and then lysis the cells to
form a DNA-agarose mixture.) This new assay will be prototyped and tested using the microfluidics technique.
The development in microfluidics techniques has demonstrated numerous potentials of microscale analysis for
biological studies, and has shown some advantages of reducing labor and risk in contamination. We will (a)
develop a microchamber containing live cells or preserved cellular DNA; (b) use electrophoresis to sample
damaged DNA by pulling broken strands into a circulating buffer in a closed-loop; (c) electrophoresis is
continuously applied while the buffer is circulating to accumulate the broken strands; and (d) the amount of DNA
will be measured by a sensitive fluorescent labeling. By taking the advantages of small scales of microchamber
configuration, in this proposal we will design and test an integrated approach combining sensitivity of traditional
comet-assay technique with the versatility and subtle precision of microfluidics technique.
We envision that this new technique will allow researchers to measure DNA damage in the field conditions. One
ready application of the new assay would be to help astronauts avoid overexposure to space radiation. Another
apparent application is on the construction of a correlation between the doses of chronic space radiation and the
extent of cumulative DNA damage. An additional, significant contribution of the research outcome would be the
innovation of a v-comet assay on either live cells or sampled cells in a conserved, dried platform to study DNA
damage not bounded by the laboratory environment.