Micro- and Nanotechnology for Label-free Biophotonics

Professor Andrea M. Armani
University of Southern California

Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 3pm
Engr IV Maxwell Room 57-124

Abstract

Innovation in technology routinely leads the way for discovery in chemistry and biology. Most notably, x-ray diffraction data was instrumental in the elucidation of the structure of DNA. To explore the inherent complexity present in biological systems, existing technologies are being pushed to their limits. Once again, scientists are looking to engineers to create innovative solutions to enable their exploration and discovery. Many of the new methods currently being developed focus on increasing the sensitivity of the detection technique by inventing new devices as well as increasing the specificity of the device by engineering synthetic targeting moieties and improved attachment methods. This talk will present an overview of both aspects of technology development which are currently being investigated in the Armani Lab. Specifically, the experimental and theoretical optical properties of several new optical devices, which were designed for the express purpose of biological and chemical detection, will be discussed. Additionally, biomolecule attachment strategies which can improve both the stability and specificity of the sensor's surface functionalization will be presented. Applications of these devices which are actively being pursued include measurements of substrate-enzyme affinity and single cell behavior.

Biography
Andrea Armani received her BA in physics from the University of Chicago (2001) and her PhD in applied physics with a minor in biology from the California Institute of Technology (2007), where she continued as the Clare Boothe Luce post-doctoral Fellow in biology and chemical engineering. She is currently the Fluor Early Career Chair in Engineering and an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Electrical Engineering-Electrophysics in the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. Armani has received several awards, including the Sigma Xi award for excellence in research (2001), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (2009), the Technology Review Top 35 Innovators under 35 (2009), the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE, 2009), and the NIH Director's New Innovator's Award (2010).