New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

Uranium contamination in groundwater from mining legacy poses serious health risks and disproportionately affects Indigenous and Indo-Hispanic communities across the southwestern United States. There is an urgent need for accessible, field-deployable tools that can detect uranium in water with high specificity and sensitivity. In this work, we lay the foundation for a biosensor platform by characterizing the molecular interaction between uranyl ions (UO₂²⁺) and a DNA aptamer. Understanding this interaction is a critical first step toward designing systems capable of selective uranium recognition. At pH 5.5, using a 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid( MES) buffer system with NaNO₃, we achieved successful uranium–DNA complex formation. In contrast, in a carbonate buffer at pH 8, we observed competitive binding between uranyl ions and carbonate species, which hindered effective aptamer interaction. Building on this molecular foundation, we hypothesized that we will be able to use engineered, stimuli-responsive proteins that undergo triggered liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) to capture and concentrate the DNA–uranium complex from solution. This two-tiered approach, molecular recognition followed by selective extraction, offers a promising strategy for developing a practical preconcentration step for use with low-cost sensors suitable for remote and resource-limited settings. Ultimately, our work seeks to empower affected communities by enabling real-time monitoring of uranium-contaminated water.