Real-time Biosensors for Continuous Measurements of Specific Biomolecules in Live Animals

Speaker: H. Tom Soh
Affiliation: Stanford University

Abstract:  A biosensor capable of continuously measuring specific molecules in the bloodstream in vivo would give clinicians a valuable window into patients’ health and their response to therapeutics. Unfortunately, continuous, real-time measurement is currently only possible for a handful of targets (i.e. glucose, and oxygen) and existing platforms for continuous measurement are not generalizable for the monitoring of other analytes.  In this presentation, we will present a universal real-time biosensor technology capable of continuously tracking a wide range of circulating molecules in living animals.  Our real-time biosensor requires no exogenous reagents, operates at room temperature, and can be reconfigured to measure different target molecules by exchanging probes in a modular manner.  To demonstrate the system’s versatility, we will present real-time measurement of doxorubicin (a chemotherapeutic) and kanamycin (an antibiotic) in live rats with sub-minute temporal resolution.  Finally, we will present the first real-time, closed loop feedback control of drug concentration in live animals using the real-time biosensor and discuss potential applications of our technology.

Biography: Dr. H. Tom Soh is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Radiology at Stanford University. He received his B.S. with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science with Distinction from Cornell University, and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford.  Between 1999 and 2003, he served as a technical manager of MEMS device research group at Bell Laboratories and Agere Systems.  Between 2003 and 2015, he was the Ruth Garland Professor at UC-Santa Barbara (UCSB) in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials. His laboratory develops synthetic reagents and biosensors to measure biomolecules in complex environments.  He is a recipient of numerous awards including MIT Technology Review’s “TR 100” Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, Beckman Young Investigator Award, ALA Innovator Award, NIH Director’s TR01 Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, NIH Edward Nagy Award, Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, and Chan-Zuckerberg Investigatorship.

For more information contact Professor Sam Emaminejad (emaminejad@ucla.edu)

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Apr 03, 2017
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Location:
EE-IV Shannon Room #54-134
420 Westwood Plaza - 5th Flr., Los Angeles CA 90095