Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Jing Wang
Full Professor, University of South Florida, USA Director of RF MEMS Transducers Group
Keynote: RF/Bio MEMS Transducers for Microsystems-on-a-Chip
Time : 10:00-10:45
Biography:
Jing Wang is a Full Professor in Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of South Florida, which he joined since 2006. He got dual B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Tsinghua University in 1999. He received two M.S. degrees, one in electrical engineering, the other in mechanical engineering, and a Ph.D. degree from University of Michigan in 2000, 2002, 2006, respectively. His research interests include micromachined transducers, RF/Bio-MEMS, lab-on-a-chip and microfluidics, functional nanomaterials, nanomanufacturing, and RF/microwave devices. His work has been funded for more than $10M by research grants from federal agencies (NSF, DTRA, US Army, US Air Force, etc.) and contracts from more than a dozen companies. He has published more than 120 peer-reviewed papers and held 10 US patents. He serves as the chairperson for IEEE MTT/AP/EDS Florida West Coast Section and Director for the Wireless and Microwave Information (WAMI) Center. He has been elected as a member of the prestigious IEEE MTT-Technical Coordinating Committee on RF MEMS. He has chaired IEEE Wireless and Microwave Technology Conference (WAMICON) in the last a few years.
Abstract:
This talk is going to present our recent efforts towards strategic design, advanced manufacturing, and characterization of miniaturized devices for emerging RF/MW/Biomedical microsystems.
Firstly, this talk will discuss design, fabrication and testing of high-frequency selectivity (high-Q) on-chip micro-resonators for wireless telemetry and sensor applications. The most recent progress in the area of high-Q micromechanical resonators will be presented, which outperform the current state-of-the-art QCM, SAW and BAW devices, thus enabling the next generation point-of-care and/or disposable biosensor applications. This talk will also review our ongoing efforts for implementation of chip-scale acoustic/optical sensing platforms by taking advantages of optical and acoustic resonances. The ability to integrate an array of miniaturized capacitive/piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers offers unique performance benefits thus enabling continuous monitoring or imaging.
Secondly, this talk will discuss the fabrication and characterization of surface-attached microbeam arrays of that are made of a thermoresponsive polymer with embedded spherical or octopod Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Turning on and off an AC-magnetic field induces the microbeam array to expel or imbibe water due to the hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic transition, leading to a reversible transition from a buckled to non-buckled state. It is shown that the octopod nanoparticles have a heating rate 30% greater (specific absorption rate) than that of the spherical nanoparticles, which shortens the response time of the polymer MEMS micro-actuators. It is further demonstrated that this shape transition can be used to propel 50μm spherical objects along a surface. It holds promise of harnessing shape-shifting patterns in microfluidics for manipulation biological samples, which is crucial for microbiology, pharmaceutical science, and related bioengineering fields.
Networking & Refreshment Break: 10:45-11:00
Keynote Forum
Anis Rahman* and Aunik Rahman
President/CTO, Applied Research & Photonics, Inc., USA
Keynote: Screening a cancerous cell with terahertz multispectral imaging
Time : 11:00-11:45
Biography:
Dr. Anis Rahman is an acclaimed scientist for metrology. He is a winner of many scientific awards including NASA Nanotech Brief’s “Nano-50” award twice; CLEO/Laser Focus World’s “Innovation award;” and “2015 MP Corrosion Innovation of the Year,” by the NACE. HE is the Founder of Applied Research & Photonics (ARP), a leading terahertz metrology company located in Harrisburg, PA (see http://arphotonics.net). His invention of “Dendrimer Dipole Excitation,” a new mechanism for terahertz generation, makes it possible to generate high power terahertz radiation. With sub-nanometer resolution, terahertz metrology offers tremendous savings in time and cost for semiconductor process development.
Abstract:
Recently terahertz multispectral reconstructive imaging has attracted tremendous attention for soft tissue imaging because of the non-ionizing nature of the T-ray that does not impart any radiation damage like X-ray. Here, examples of human skin tissue imaging are presented. Reconstructive imaging utilizes the technique of rasterizing a specimen over a given volume. The resulting three-dimensional matrix, termed as the Beer-Lambert reflection (BLR) matrix, is utilized to compute a 3D lattice for the image generation. ARP’s instrument allows the T-ray beam to be focused on a given layer under the surface; therefore, a 3D volume may be rasterized on a layer by layer basis. The algorithm used for image generation is capable of accurate representation of the measured object similar to a charged couple device as has been explained elsewhere. Here we present images of human skin under different diseased conditions as compared to healthy skin samples. Fig. 1 exhibits terahertz reconstructive 3D image of a skin sample where regular cellular pattern is visible. However, some cell has started deforming because of the onset of disease attack. As outlined, a combination of presence or absence of regular cellular structure, terahertz spectral comparison, and lack or presence or layering information is expected to serve as a fool proof diagnostic tool for different kind of skin cancers.
Group Photo : 11:45-12:00
Workshop
Session Introduction
Bill Jackson
Founder and Chief Scientist, Base Pair Biotechnologies, USA
Title: Aptamers for quantitative sensing of small molecules using graphene biosensors and surface enhanced raman spectroscopy
Time : 12:00-13:00
Biography:
Bill Jackson is the Founder and Chief Scientist of Base Pair Biotechnologies. He is an experienced biomedical and chemical engineer in charge of molecular diagnostic and molecular biology development at Base Pair. He is a recognized leader in the aptamer space having authored 12 peer-reviewed publications on aptamers as well as 30+ posters and conference proceedings. He is also an inventor of Base Pair’s patented, multiplex aptamer selection process and inventor on 12 other issued patents and a number of additional patents pending. He holds a B.S. in biomedical engineering from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Houston.
Abstract:
In many cases, conventional affinity reagents (e.g. antibodies) are not well suited for the sensitive detection of small molecule analytes. Small molecule targets are often non-immunogenic or, at the other end of the spectrum, too toxic for effective production of antibodies. Furthermore, many classes of pharmaceuticals such as opioids, for example, comprise many molecules of very similar structure, and therefore the available antibodies are cross-reactive. Aptamers, however, are discovered by purely in vitro means and thus toxicity or lack of immunogenicity are not an issue in their discovery. Furthermore, negative selection steps can be performed to rid candidate pools of binders to closely related analyte confounders.
In the presentation, we highlight the use of novel aptamers to small molecules discovered at Base Pair in two separate sensing platforms – 1) a commercial graphene-based field effect biosensor, and 2) surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Among the analytes are tenofovir, an important HIV drug, several opioid compounds, and a metabolite implicated in early, asymptomatic malaria infection. We present limits-of-detection in each platform as well as the potential advantages and disadvantages of each.
Lunch Break: 13:00-13:45
Exhibitor Presentation
Session Introduction
G Thomas Caltagirone
CEO & President, Aptagen LLC, USA
Title: What are Aptamers?
Time : 13:45-14:20
Biography:
G Thomas Caltagirone is the President & CEO of Aptagen and has over 25 years of research and business experience in start-ups. A native of York, PA, he began his studies at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia followed by a PhD in neuroscience from Drexel University. He completed his thesis on “Proton-Sensitive Ribozyme Switches with Molecular Memory” at Yale University, and has several patents and publications under his name.
Abstract:
Aptamers (synthetic antibodies) are stable DNA or RNA ligands that bind with high affinity and specificity to target antigens such as small molecules, peptides, proteins, cells, and tissues. For example, aptamers have been generated that exhibit greater than 10,000-fold binding affinity for theophylline over caffeine, which differ only by a few atoms. Aptamer products can be used as research reagents, diagnostics, biosensors, and tools for biomarker or drug discovery. Aptamers can also be used for bioindustrial applications and targeted therapeutics.
- Sessions: Biosensors | Biosensors Applications | Transducers in Biosensors | DNA Chips and Nucleic Acid Sensors | Bioelectronics | Photonic Sensor Technologies | Biosensing TechnologiesBiosensors
Location: Franklin
Chair
Jing Wang
University of South Florida, USA
Co-Chair
Tom Zimmermann
Michigan State University, USA
Session Introduction
Tom Zimmermann
Professor, Michigan State University, USA
Title: Automation of biotechnological bioreactor production processes
Time : 14:20-14:55
Biography:
The change of health care towards personalized medicine requires an adaptation of the biomedical and pharmaceutical production. The demand for sophisticated and customized products, including monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic proteins and vaccines, is ever growing. At the same time, high efficiency and product quality are key requirements. A personalized and affordable medicine requires low volume and highly parallelized production methods, frequently realized in single-use bioreactors. Complexity and requirements of strictly controlled bioreactor processes are increasing rapidly. A continuous measurement of relevant process parameters and full automation of biotechnological production processes are critical to a high process yield and productivity. Parallel real-time in-situ monitoring of a variety of parameters in complex fluids can be realized by suitable multi-sensor systems (Fig. 1). Integrated disposable in-situ monitoring and control systems are not commercially available, yet. Required systems should control typical parameters of a cell culture in a bioreactor process and monitor various metabolic proteins and lactate, the nutrient glucose and cell density as well as the pH and the temperature. Integrated bioMEMS with a functionalized bioactive recognition layer shall be used to detect in-situ and in real-time most specifically on the biomolecular level bioanalytes of interest in highly complex bioreactor environments. Key for a stable, reliable, and robust in-situ sensor- and actor-system with low bio-fouling property might be the use of highly biocompatible diamond and carbon material systems.
Abstract:
Tom Zimmermann was head of the business unit Biohybrid Systems at Fraunhofer and is with the Michigan State University since 2017. His research activities are in the field of diamond bioMEMS solutions in biomedical diagnostics, automation of biotechnological processes, and food analysis as well as in the development of diamond high-power terahertz systems. He graduated in solid-state electronics at the University Ulm (Germany), in 2002. Having received a PhD degree in electrical engineering from the University Ulm (diamond and III-V devices), he joined the University of Notre Dame, in 2006. Here, he pursued research in high-power high-frequency devices, first as a post-doc and later on as research assistant professor. His research record: 30+ peer-reviewed papers, 60+ conferences.
Yasushi Takemura
Professor, Yokohama National University, Japan
Title: Wireless power transmission to medically implantable device using magnetic wire
Time : 14:55-15:30
Biography:
Yasushi Takemura is Professor of the Electrical and Computer Engineering, Yokohama National University, Japan, where he has been since 1993. He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, in 1988, 1990, and 1993, respectively. His research interests are magnetics, magnetic sensor, magnetic materials, and bio-medical application of magnetic nanoparticles. He has published more than 150 papers in reputed journals.
Abstract:
Wireless power transmission to a medically implantable device deeply located in the human body is essential to develop future therapeutic and diagnosis technology. We present a power receiving module of 20 mW using a thin magnetic wire of 0. 25 mm diameter.
A magnetization reversal in magnetic wires with bistable magnetization states induces pulse voltage in a pick-up coil which has been known as Wiegand effect [1]. A twisted FeCoV wire is one of the optimum material yielding this effect. A Fe0.4Co0.5V0.1 wire of 11 nm length was used as the core material in the pick-up coil. An alternating magnetic applied field of 4.8 kA/m at 10 kHz was applied to the wire. The induced votage to the pick-up coil was measured, and the power obtained from this voltage as power source was evaluated [2, 3].
We achieve the wireless power transmission of 20 mW to a medically implantable device under the excitation field condition which can be realized by a body-sized excitation coil with practical power supply. The experimental details and other possible applications [4, 5] including battery-less modules are also discussed in the presentation.
Bryan J. Black
University of Texas, Dallas, USA
Title: Sensory neurons cultured on microelectrode arrays as label-free, non-invasive biosensors for novel analgesic discovery
Time : 15:45-16:20
Biography:
Bryan J Black currently serves as a Research Scientist in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA and as an Advisor at Qualia Labs, Inc. In 2014, he was graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington with a Ph.D. in Physics and Applied Physics. His research interests include the development and application of novel in vitro and in vivo neural interfaces to address fundamental questions of neural network connectivity and plasticity as well inflammatory response.
Abstract:
The tolerance, abuse, and potential exacerbation of symptoms associated with classical chronic pain medications (e.g., opioids) creates an urgent need for alternative therapeutics. Phenotypic screening may provide an alternative or complementary approach to traditional molecular target-based drug discovery. Profiling of cellular phenotypes enables quantification of physiologically relevant traits central to a disease pathology without prior identification of a specific molecular target. For complex disorders such as chronic pain, which involves many molecular targets, this approach may help to identify novel treatments. Sensory neurons, termed nociceptors, are central to the development and maintenance of chronic pain, may be cultured from primary tissues, and undergo changes in membrane excitability and activity consistent with chronic pain. Importantly, these changes manifest as alterations in firing rate and pattern of readily quantifiable signals (i.e., all-or-nothing action potentials) that can be recorded from substrate integrate microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Here, I will review the current application space of MEAs as biosensors for toxicology and pharmacology. Next, I will review the bioelectrical behavior of DRG neurons, signaling complexity chronic pain, and limitations and advantages of various sensory neuron models. Finally, I will describe the use of MEAs in assays for bioelectrical behavior as well as emerging efforts to leverage microfabrication, microfluidics, and 3D culture paradigms for assay development.