(366am) Engineering Low-Cost Electrochemical Biosensors for Point-of-Care (POC) Diagnostics

Disease diagnostics are crucial for public health as they enable early and rapid detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment of various health conditions. Gold standard testing methods for disease diagnostics, such as polymerase chain reactions, often require expensive reagents, equipment, and trained personnel. Without centralized laboratories for disease monitoring, a lack of diagnostics results in lack of isolation measures and treatment for infected individuals, thereby facilitating the progression and spread of disease. Electrochemical biosensors are favorable for POC diagnostics due to their affordability, portability and sensitivity. However, translating these biosensors to actual products is difficult due to obstacles such device robustness, shelf-life and stability, and developing scalable manufacturing methods. To combat this, I solve challenges around commercializing biosensors, including incorporating new chemistries to improve sensor robustness, fabricating devices for automated detection, and engineering materials to increase sensor shelf life and stability. In this poster, I discuss two projects: 1) new chemistry to enable high-fidelity modification of commercially-available carbon electrodes with biomolecules for the detection of nucleic acids, whole cells, and enzyme activity, and 2) a new sensing modality to directly detect long nucleic acids for the diagnosis of cancer. My research contributes to creating robust and low-cost diagnostics that bridge the gap between academic and industrial sensor development.

Research Interests

I am a fifth-year PhD student in Professor Ariel Furst’s lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where I develop improved electrochemical biosensors for POC diagnostics of infectious diseases. My research interests consist of solving challenges around translating and commercializing biosensors into deployable diagnostics. Through my PhD, I have gained skills in electrochemistry, bioconjugation chemistry, material characterization, molecular biology, and data analysis. I look forward to bringing my technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork capabilities to the biotechnology sector to solve challenges in human health.