Research
Biosensing at the micro- and nano-scales
Scientific progress towards the nanoscale has provided new insight into various phenomena spanning the natural sciences. With advances in microfabrication technologies, researchers have been able to probe matter with unprecedented levels of sensitivity and accuracy, while developing the novel tools necessary for such advancements. With miniaturization, the boundaries between various scientific disciplines are blurred and many scientists have recognized the potential of interdisciplinary collaborative research. Our research seeks innovation by pooling knowledge from physics, biology, chemistry and engineering.
While we have seen great advances in chemical/biological sensing, health screening, and diagnostics in recent years, there are still some great challenges that remain to be addressed. The relevant antigen (target) concentration for various disease states often challenges the limits of detection of current technologies. The complexity of real-world samples such as blood, urine, saliva or food makes the detection of a specific disease biomarker or pathogen challenging, requiring complex sample preparation procedures. Also, the success of a sensing technology will be impacted by cost and ease of deployment in non-standard settings such in third world areas or even for bedside diagnostics. We seek to address these issues from four fronts:
- Development of novel assays and detection/characterization technologies
- Implementation of sample manipulation, separation and concentration platforms
- Establishing a fundamental understanding of the science relevant to each sensing platforms
- Providing new quantitative measurement capabilities for conducting basic research in biology, chemistry and physics
We develop microfluidic platforms with integrated biosensors. These systems enable the detection of biological material, from biomolecules to cells. Here are a few examples:
The surface stress induced by the adsorption of target molecules onto the surface of a microcantilever is quantified by measuring bending. [Nanotechnology 21, 075501 (2010)] |
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| The masses of individual cells or nanoparticles are measured as they flow through one by one through a suspended microchannel resonator, a vibrating microcantilever beam with an integrated microfluidic channel. [Nature, 446, 1066-1069 (2007)] |
| This microfluidic device performs PCR to amplify DNA before delivering the product to integrated field-effect sensors for detection. [Lab Chip (7), 347-354 (2007)] |  |