Beyond BioSentinel: Iterative Development of Automated Microfluidics
NASA Ames has flown a series of Bio-CubeSats that performed biology experiments supported by automated fluidic systems. Since Genesat-1 in 2006, these payloads have increased in complexity and functionality, building upon previous successes, and applying lessons learned. BioSenti
Selection note: Curated for BioSentinel's automated microfluidic cultivation and measurement of yeast beyond low Earth orbit, a precursor for unattended biological monitoring.
Evidence boundary: The NTRS record summarizes the payload, but this pass did not audit instrument reliability, data reduction, or biological results. It is autonomous-lab context, not direct radiation-health evidence.
Stable record
ntrs-20230010855
Topic
reproduction-genetics
Type
Presentation
Publisher
Ames Research Center
Authors
Mike Padgen
Year
2023
Editorial state
metadata curated editorial draft
Reviewer
GShips Project editorial synthesis
Official link checked
2026-07-25
Source-supplied abstract
NASA Ames has flown a series of Bio-CubeSats that performed biology experiments supported by automated fluidic systems. Since Genesat-1 in 2006, these payloads have increased in complexity and functionality, building upon previous successes, and applying lessons learned. BioSentinel was the most recent of this series, launched into heliocentric orbit onboard Artemis-1 in 2022. This presentation will discuss how the fluidic technology developed for these Bio-CubeSat missions, including the multi-layer polycarbonate manifolds at the heart of the BioSentinel BioSensor, have spurred the development of several additional projects. Most directly is the modified BioSensor that will be a part of LEIA, which will perform its Lunar biology experiment onboard a Commercial Lunar Payload Services lander. Several search-for-life manifolds have been designed to prepare samples from icy moons for downstream analyses. Two early career Polaris projects are developing fluidics to perform genetic sequencing on samples from multigenerational cell culture and to extract and quantify target miRNAs to support astronaut radiation health assessment. Improving the readiness of these systems has been accelerated by adopting the established flight heritage and microgravity-compatibility of the Bio-CubeSat fluidic hardware and designs, while focusing development efforts on the integration of novel functionalities and components.
Abstract text has not been adopted as a GShips conclusion.
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The NTRS record summarizes the payload, but this pass did not audit instrument reliability, data reduction, or biological results. It is autonomous-lab context, not direct radiation-health evidence.
Source-supplied titles, abstracts, authors, and dates may require correction against the canonical full text.
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People, review, and conflicts
Prepared by
GShips Project
Editorial status
metadata-curated-editorial-draft
Editorial reviewer
GShips Project editorial synthesis
Last editorial review
No editorial-review date recorded
Independent review
pending
Independent reviewer
No independent reviewer assigned
Last independent review
No independent-review date exists
Last content edit
Not recorded separately
Official source or link verified
2026-07-25
Declared conflicts
The maintainer intends to explore a commercial venture based on some GShips work. No entity, outside funding, customer, sponsor, or indexed-organization relationship currently exists.