(7ar) Engineering Devices for Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Discovery Science

Advances in microfabrication and manufacturing techniques have opened new possibilities to build novel integrative devices that can interact with biological systems and perform controlled manipulations. My primary research interests is in building such novel devices that can address the current unmet needs in healthcare and discovery science. In the first part, I will discuss our work on developing biomimetic chips that mimic the physiological process of cell-homing to isolate immune cell populations from whole blood. Next, I will present some of our recent work on developing a microfabricated immune-isolating device that can be used to implant therapeutic cells within the body without the risk of rejection. Through a rigorous screening process, we have also developed a unique surface coating that mitigates fibrosis on these devices in mice as well as non-human primates. These biocompatible devices can maintain protein producing therapeutic cells in the body for over 6 months. Finally, I will discuss our work on developing an integrated droplet based microfluidic platform that can separate proteins and nucleic acids from single cells. We are using this platform to isolate and sequence microRNAs from single cells, and we are studying how cell to cell variability in miRNA expression drives differentiation and oncogenesis.

One of my primary interest in pursuing an academic position is also for the opportunity to mentor students and train next generation scientists. In my academic career, I have mentored over 14 undergraduates, 3 technicians and 1 graduate students. These experiences have been really impactful in my career and have helped me to become a better educator and adviser.

Teaching Interests:

I am interested and qualified for teaching multiple core classes of Chemical Engineering which includes topics in the areas of biomaterials, reaction kinetics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. Additionally, I am excited to create a graduate course in the emerging fields of Molecular Engineering and Medical devices.