Laura Carmona

School: Oxnard Community College

Major: Biological Sciences

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-gzjf-d228

Biography:

Laura Carmona is a first generation college student who is the eldest of five siblings. She comes from a low-income Hispanic family and is seeking to do better in order to help her family financially. She is currently an undergraduate study at Oxnard Community College, with a major in biology and is going into two years of experience in lab work. She did a Amgen Biotech experience as a junior in high-school and is currently working in Dr. James Harber’s lab. This year, she will be finishing her 4th semester at Oxnard College. Her main goal is to eventually help her mom out with her siblings since she is a field worker. She tries her best to help by working in the fields with her mom in the summer picking berries. Her goal is to become a better person of herself so she can help her family’s life.

The Detection of Systemic Disease Risk Based on Microbiome Analysis and LAMP Technology Using a Portable Device, the LifeSmile

Abstract

The LifeSmile oral microbiome diagnostic device is proposed to assess systemic disease risk from the comfort of your home. Roughly 700 resident microorganisms inhabit the oral cavity and are influenced by diet, immune health, and gender. Recent studies indicate these bacteria are safe at low levels, but they become a danger to human health at high levels. More specifically, the risk for seven serious human pathologies rises significantly as specific bacterial populations increase. These “microbiome detectable diseases” include preterm labor, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and four cancers (oral, esophageal, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal) [1]. LifeSmile utilizes LAMP DNA amplification technology to produce a LED signal that informs the user of a healthy or at-risk oral microbiome. It is hypothesized that LifeSmile could process tooth swab samples to detect the major disease-causing bacteria of the oral microbiome. Twelve individuals provided tooth samples to evaluate differences in the seven categories of bacteria corresponding to the “microbiome detectable diseases.” Tooth DNA was extracted by scraping twelve individual’s teeth. Samples were then subject to next-generation Illumina MiSeq analysis to generate twelve individual oral microbiomes. A spreadsheet of these hundreds of bacteria and their abundances was subject to manual data mining [2,3]. The LifeSmile device evaluates the levels of these seven individual at-risk bacteria found by data mining the oral microbiomes. The microbiome experimental data analysis combined with information from reviews of this subject established a rationale for building the LifeSmile portable device. It houses a more direct DNA extraction and detection technology (LAMP). LifeSmile contains a small centrifuge and biofluidic distribution mechanism to distribute DNA to chambers containing primers for specific bacteria using LAMP analysis. Risk is displayed as a low/high LED signal in minutes. LifeSmile is technologically feasible because analogous Covid LAMP or CRISPR technology devices are already marketed for home use.

References
[1] Willis, J.R., and Gabaldón, T. (2020) The Human Oral Microbiome in Health and Disease: From Sequences to Ecosystems. Microorganisms, Feb;8(2): 308. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8020308

[2] Surlin, P., Nicolae, F.M., Surlin, V.M., Patrascu, S., Ungureanu, B.S., Cristiana, A., Didilescu, A.C., and Gheonea,D.I. (2020). Could Periodontal Disease through Periopathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum be an Aggravating Factor for Gastric Cancer? Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(12), 3885. doi: 10.3390/jcm9123885

[3] Sun, Z., Xiong, C., Teh, S. W., Lim, J., Kumar, S., & Thilakavathy, K. (2019). Mechanisms of Oral Bacterial Virulence Factors in Pancreatic Cancer. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection microbiology, 9, 412. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00412 

Author Q&A

What is your research topic, in a nutshell? 

In my research I intend to sample the mouth for bacteria (the oral microbiome) that relate to systemic diseases of the heart, organ cancers and neurological illnesses. Using bioinformatics and data mining, a small focus set of potentially dangerous oral bacteria have been identified which can be detected using contemporary rapid diagnostic technology inside a device I call the “LifeSmile” 

How did you come to your research topic? 

This research topic was proposed as an area of investigation when I join Dr. Harber’s lab at Oxnard College just prior to quarantine. There was a considerable amount of work already accumulated in the area associating the bacteria of the mouth (oral microbiome) with a study of systemic diseases. At the same time the cell culture of living heart tissue was advanced to the point of producing a suture termed “cardiothread”. As I studied the data of the tooth bacteria microbiome produced by next generation sequencing it became clear that many of the most abundant bacteria in our data set had the potential to cause cardiac disease. Oral bacteria entering the bloodstream cause infection which may damage the heart valves for example. Using the LifeSmile device it is possible to quantify the effectiveness of a person’s dental hygiene practices. LifeSmile is capable of discovering hidden abscesses and other previously undiagnosable dental disease risks. 

Where do you see the future direction of this work leading (how might future researchers build on your work or what is left to discover in this field)? 

I see the future directions of this research to go well beyond the data mining and bioinformatics that we were able to do in quarantine. The research team working on this project needs to obtain new tooth samples from our dental hygiene program on campus with specific time frames of tooth cleanings and samplings. It is our intent that researchers can build upon this LifeSmile device concept and also build a 3D prototype using inexpensive liquid 3D printing technology. Lifesmile is capable of advising users to seek further medical advice if dangerous levels of bacteria are detected for specific pathogens previously assessed by oral microbiome analysis. Signals for each channel are intended to inform the user at home. Currently there is no device on the consumer market for teeth to help predict the need for preventative treatments that could avoid preterm labor, cardiac disease, neurological illness, pancreatic cancer, neurological disease 

Where are you heading to after graduation? 

After graduation from Oxnard College, I’m aiming to attend a University to complete my Undergraduate degree in a premedical program for the biological sciences. I would like to attend medical school and I am interested long term in the study of anesthesiology at the current time.