DIYgenomics - Synbio self-tests

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A significant barrier to the wide-scale adoption of citizen science in the context of health self-management, intervention exploration, and preventive medicine implementation is the high cost, inconvenience and discomfort involved in obtaining traditional lab tests. While many may be ordered in a direct-to-consumer fashion through DirectLabs, the Life Extension Foundation, and other websites, it still costs ~$100 per test. 

The challenge is to identify the requisite chemistry and processes involved and see if it may be possible to make simple consumer-friendly finger-stick blood test cartridges, similar to the glucose and HDL measurement kits sold at drug stores, which self-experimenters may perform at home or at community biolabs. Continuous monitoring via microneedle arrays would be useful for self-tracking of glucose levels and other measures. DIYgenomics has a pending grant application with the Immortality Institute to fund a Cholestech LDX lipid measurement device via finger-stick cartridge at a silicon valley-based biolab. Next-gen synbio companies such as Biodesic may be able to look at the feasibility of developing such tests.

Top 20 Wish List of basic tests for delivery as a one-off or comprehensive panel:

Traditional Blood markers:

• Cholesterol - HDL
• Cholesterol - LDL
• Cholesterol - Triglycerides
• Homocysteine
• Vitamin B-12
• Folate
• Vitamin D
• Creatinine
• eGFR
• Cortisol
• Calcium
• Iron
• Aldosterone 

Hormones

• Estrogen
• Progesterone
• Testosterone
• Estradiol