Event
Bioengineering Seminar Series: Ian White
Friday, February 27, 2009
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Room 2110, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Bldg.
Professor Adam Hsieh
(301) 405-7397
hsieh@umd.edu
Strategies for Studying Disease at the Molecular Level Using Microfluidic-Based Biosensors On-Chip
Presented by Ian White
Assistant Professor
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
University of Maryland
Despite decades of gains in biotechnology, currently much remains unknown about the molecular mechanisms of many diseases. New tools are needed to speed discovery at the molecular level and to mitigate the complexity of studying the systems biology of disease. In recent years, hundreds of new biosensing techniques have been developed that aim to quantify target molecules in a sample, such as protein biomarkers and oligonucleotide sequences. On their own, these new techniques provide only incremental benefits as compared to todays molecular biology techniques. However, some of these new biosensing techniques are well suited for integration with microfluidic functions into a lab-on-a-chip system. Advancements in microfluidic techniques may enable smaller sample and reagent volumes, as well as higher throughput, especially due to a reduced number of steps and increased automation. More importantly, however, microfluidic techniques may enable experiments that have not been possible with current techniques. As a result, the development of new systems that integrate cutting-edge biosensing techniques with microfluidic functions will lead to new strategies for the discovery of the molecular mechanisms of disease. This seminar will review some of the latest biosensing techniques and present opportunities for progress in disease-related research by integrating biosensing techniques with microfluidic functions.
