Research: Microfluidics and Highly Sensitive Biosensors

Micro total analysis system (mTAS), a.k.a. lab-on-a-chip, integrates a variety of experimental components on a chip as small as one inch square in area (see above for an actual PDMS device). In a typical lab-on-a-chip scheme, chemicals can be synthesized, purified, and analyzed on a single chip made by lithography. The technique is indispensable in the emerging fields such as genomics and proteomics, where huge sets of data are collected and analyzed, click here for a setup used in our lab.  It is also very useful in the screening processes to identify promising drug leads or optimal conditions for crystallization. The low cost and high-throughput capability make this technique ideal for sensor development.  Combining with laser tweezers, our lab is developing highly sensitive biosensors. Recently, we have invented a new biosensor to detect Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) using a single DNA molecule as a template. Due to the single-molecule nature, this method allows to detect SNP at picomolar concentration without any amplification strategies. Recently, we expanded our research efforts to DNA aptamers, a new type of receptors that can recognize ligands with affinity and specificity approaching those of antibody-antigen interactions.