SBIR-STTR Award

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a forefront of public health concern as the problem is especially acute among war veterans. The current treatment methods for PTSD mainly consist of antidepressant medications and psychotherapy, however, these are still not very effective considering drug use disorders and suicide. Epigenetics, in particular, DNA methylation has been known to show a significant role in the pathophysiology of PTSD. Current assays for DNA methylation such as bisultfite-, pyro- and nanopore-based sequencing and immunoprecipitation techniques are often laborious, involve the use of multiple instruments, require specialized training, have massive analysis workflow and high error rates. Strategies that allow rapid identification of risk, diagnostic, prognostic, monitoring and predictive biomarkers such as methylated genes associated with PTSD are highly desired. Luna aims to develop an epigenetic assay to translate nanoplasmonic biosensing array technology to its practical use in monitoring a panel of methlated gene biomarkers in whole blood samples from patients with PTSD. Luna’s assay has superiority over existing technologies because of its label-free nature, purification-free, highly sensitive, real-time monitoring and rapid multiplexing capability with minimal analytics that would be extremely valuable in clinical practice for PTSD diagnosis and treatment.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a forefront of public health concern as the problem is especially acute among war veterans. The current treatment for PTSD mainly consist of antidepressant medications and psychotherapy, however, these are still not effective considering drug use disorders and suicide. Epigenetics, in particular, DNA methylation has been known to show a significant role in pathophysiology of PTSD. As current assays for DNA methylation are often laborious and complex, strategies that allow rapid monitoring of predictive biomarkers such as methylated nucleic acid bases associated with PTSD are highly desired. Luna is developing an epigenetic assay to translate biosensing array technology to its practical use. In Phase I, Luna constructed the sensing arrays, identified surface blocking system, demonstrated assay’s reproducibility and multiplex detection of PTSD bases using cell line DNA samples. In Phase II, Luna will complete assay development, demonstrate utility of the assay using whole blood samples from patients with PTSD, and validate the assay platform. Luna’s assay has superiority over existing technologies because of its rapid, direct, and site-specific detection, label-free, highly sensitive, and real-time monitoring, and multiplexing capability with minimal data processing that would be extremely valuable in clinical practice for PTSD diagnosis and treatment.