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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Construct a signal-processing module that monitors the intensity of circular polarized light excitation using a commercial A/D board combined with an autobalanced photodiode. Measure chiral enhancement of biomolecules using commercially available or extracted natural samples. Demonstrate chiral-biosignature detection of wider category of biomolecules, beyond pigments. The excitation wavelength at 488 nm currently prevents measuring a wide variety of biomolecules, whose absorption generally occurs at UV wavelengths. However, using chiral discrimination agents or biomolecule stains will extend the capability of the CDTLM. This task also establishs a design path for down-road integration of a UV excitation source.
The goal is to demonstrate circular dichroism-thermal lens microscopy (CD-TLM) as a technology for the direct in situ detection of biomarkers in future NASA life-detection missions. To date, NASA funded technology development of instrumentation for measurement of enantiometric excesses of target biomolecules has focused on traditional techniques that rely on chiral separation coupled to traditional detection methods (e.g., laser induced fluorescence, mass spectroscopy). This CIF project will demonstrate a new technological capability, CD-TLM, which will allow direct chiral-biomarker detection and eliminate the need for the pre-detection chiral separations used in traditional approaches.
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