PFAS (per/polyfluoroalkyl substances) encompass a group of roughly 12,000 man-made chemicals that are incredibly stable. Because of its widespread use and the fact that it degrades very slowly, PFAS exists practically everywhere in the environment. Concerningly, consumption of PFAS compounds due to environmental contamination has been correlated with many illnesses, prompting research into detection methods for PFAS to limit exposure in the general population. Current analytical methods for detecting PFAS are either time-consuming and expensive or lack sensitivity and selectivity. To mitigate these limitations, we developed a ssDNA aptazyme sensor platform where a PFAS aptamer sequence was retrofitted onto a HRP-mimicking DNAzyme PW17 in various split designs. Surprisingly, different sensor constructs resulted in an array of sensitivities to both PFOA and PFOS, where aptazyme kinetics showed a kinetic turnover difference based on the PFAS compound present. Aptazyme construct G3-HA-G1 showed a preferential response to PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) over PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), suggesting that G3-HA-G1 could be further engineered to develop a selective PFAS sensing platform. Furthermore, combination of DNA sensor components in a plug-and-play fashion results in emergent sensor properties that warrant further investigation to develop predictable design rules.
Author(s): Cecelia Meinking; Dr. Kevin Yehl
Advisor(s): Kevin Yehl, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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