(3ed) Micro and Nanosystems for Biotechnology and Health Applications

Micro and nanotechnology has
radically transformed the fundamental studies in many fields of biology and
medicine by catalyzing a paradigm shift in methods toolbox available to
researchers. However, its full potential has yet to be explored and harnessed for
applications in translational medicine, in specific, diagnostics and
therapeutics. To this end, I plan to combine ultra-sensitive optical imaging
and detection techniques with microfluidic methods to engineer and implement
enabling technologies towards addressing key questions and challenges in
clinical diagnostics, systems biology, developmental biology and translational
medicine. I am specifically interested in developing integrated micro and nanosystems for i) Molecular diagnostics ii) Micro and nanomanipulation of particles, cells and embryos for high
throughput screening iii) Studying microbial communities related to infectious
disease and immunology. In this presentation, I will summarize my previous
research efforts on developing microsystems with applications to biosensors and
micromanipulation of micro and nanoparticles; and briefly provide an overview
of my proposed research program as a tenure-track faculty member.

Over the past two decades,
development of micro and nanomanipulation methods
based on optical, electrokinetic, magnetic, acoustic
fields has revolutionized many fields of science and engineering by enabling
investigations of a wide array of physical and biological problems including
biophysical studies of individual molecules, particles and living cells.
Recently, we developed an alternative flow-based method to confine, manipulate
or isolate single particles and cells in free-solution [1, 4-5]. Based on a
stagnation point flow generated in a microfluidic device, this novel method
allows for trapping, 2-D manipulation, stretching and sorting of objects
ranging from single molecules to individual cells in free-solution.
Importantly, hydrodynamic trapping is feasible for any particle with no
specific requirements on the material composition or the chemical/physical
nature (optical, magnetic, surface charge) of the trapped object. In addition,
hydrodynamic trap enables confinement of nanoscale particles because the trapping
force scales linearly with particle radius, whereas the trapping force for
optical or magnetic traps scales with particle volume. Hydrodynamic trapping
inherently enables confinement of a single target nanoparticle in a
concentrated sample suspension, provides the ability to change the surrounding
medium of a trapped nanoparticle in real time and enables fine-scale particle
manipulation in free solution for extended time scales. Overall, the
hydrodynamic trap offers a new platform for observation of nanoparticles
without surface immobilization. We anticipate that this microfluidic-based
technique will enable new scientific studies in the fields of cellular
mechanics, colloidal science and fluid dynamics.

Integrated micro and nanosystems offer
several key advantages for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, including
reduced amounts of sample and reagents for analysis, and integration of assay
steps such as sample preparation (processing of physiological fluids),
post-processing (e.g. reagent mixing, labeling, separation), detection and
analysis into a single device. Specifically, rapid multiplexed assays based on
integrated microdevices could significantly improve the quality of healthcare
by reducing turnaround time and analysis cost, and speeding up the decision
making process for diagnosis and treatment. Towards this goal, we developed a
combinatorial screening chip for high sensitivity, sequence-specific screening
and detection of viral nucleic acid markers (ssDNA) encoding for conserved
regions of the genomes of four common viruses [2]. The combinatorial chip
represents a versatile platform for the development of clinical diagnostic
tests for simultaneous screening, detection and monitoring of a wide range of
biological markers of health and disease using minimal sample size. In
addition, during my graduate studies, I developed an ultrasensitive label-free
sensing scheme based on optical resonances in microdroplets [7] which was
employed in a number of chemical and biological sensing applications including
single bacterial cell detection [6].

Postdoctoral Advisors:

Prof. Charles M. Schroeder, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Prof. Paul R. Selvin, Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PhD Advisor:

Prof. Ian M. Kennedy, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of
California, Davis

Publications:

1. 
M. Tanyeri, M. Ranka, N. Sittipolkul, C. M.
Schroeder, "A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap: Design and
Implementation", Lab Chip, 11 (10), 1786-1794 (2011).

2. 
B. R. Schudel, M. Tanyeri, A. Mukherjee, C. M. Schroeder,
P. J. A. Kenis, "Multiplexed Detection of Nucleic Acids in a Combinatorial
Screening Chip", (in press, Lab on a Chip).

3. 
Y. Kim, S. Kim, M. Tanyeri, J. A. Katzenellenbogen,
C. M. Schroeder, "Dye-conjugated Dendrimers as Bright and Photostable
Molecular Tags for Fluorescence Microscopy and Imaging", (submitted, Journal
of the American Chemical Society).

4. 
E. M. Johnson-Chavarria, M. Tanyeri, C. M. Schroeder, ?A
Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles?
(http://www.jove.com/details.stp?id=2517), Journal of Visualized Experiments,
47 (2011).

5. 
M. Tanyeri, E. M. Johnson-Chavarria, C. M. Schroeder,
"Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles and Cells", Applied
Physics Letters, 96, 224101 (2010).

6. 
M. Tanyeri, I. M. Kennedy, ?Detecting Single
Bacterial Cells through Optical Resonances in Microdroplets? (cover article), Sensor
Letters, 6 (2), 326-329 (2008).

7. 
M. Tanyeri, R. Perron, I.
M. Kennedy, ?Lasing Droplets in a Microfabricated Channel?, Optics Letters,
32 (17), 2529-2531 (2007) (Highlighted in photonics.com and Photonics Spectra,
October 2007).