Office of Undergraduate Research

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/20157

Emphasizing equitable and inclusive access to research opportunities, the University of Maryland's Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) empowers undergraduates and faculty to engage and succeed in inquiry, creative activity, and scholarship. This collection includes materials shared by undergraduate researchers during OUR events. It also encompasses materials from Undergraduate Research Day 2020, Undergraduate Research Day 2021, and Undergraduate Research Day 2022, which were organized by the Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research.

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    One-Pot Ligation LAMP Assay to Detect miRNA-222: A Glioma Biomarker
    (2024) Pallavajjala, Roshni; Adane, Yedidya; Fernandes, Catarina; Kaiser, Jillian; Patel, Khushi; Spirito, Catherine
    Many cancer diagnostic methods are invasive, time-consuming, and expensive. Delayed cancer diagnosis can lower patient survival rates. PCR-based techniques that detect miRNA biomarkers in blood have been utilized as early screening tools for various cancers. As an alternative to PCR, we designed and optimized an isothermal amplification technique, Ligation Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (Ligation LAMP) assay, to detect miR-222, an established biomarker that is found in elevated levels in the bloodstream of early-stage glioma patients. We designed colorimetric and fluorescent Ligation-LAMP assays and demonstrated their specificity and sensitivity in detecting miR-222. We are working on implementing our assay into a One-Pot system, using Thermally Responsive Alkane Partitions (TRAPs) and a strand displacement assay utilizing magnetic beads. We found that the Ligation LAMP assay is sensitive and specific to glioma biomarker miR-222 and different probe lengths for Strand Displacement did not have a significant impact on ligation. With these results, we can further improve the One-Pot assay to be more point-of-care.