The BioPOETS (Biomolecular Polymer Opto-Electronic Technology
and Science) group is focusing on quantum nanoplasmonics, microfluidic
BASICs (Biological Application Specific Integrated Circuits),
soft-state biological devices, and BioPOEMS
(Biomolecular-Polymer-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) for the
digitalization of quantitative systems biology and molecular medicine.
Quantum Nanoplasmonics
Recently, a team of talented researchers that includes
biophysicists, chemists, engineers from the BioPOETS group created
novel nanoscale biophotonic probes called "nanocrescents" for the
molecular imaging of single cellular dynamics, and "nanorainbow" arrays
for high-speed label-free functional genomics or proteomics. Tunable
nanocrescent Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) probes are being
developed as nanoscopic tools to observe the dynamics of the living
cell. The standalone Au-based nanocrescent SERS probes can be
selectively targeted to specific mRNA, proteins, and cellular
components for the nanoscopic in-vivo imaging of the dynamic changes of
multiparameters, functional single cell proteomics, and cellomics.
BASICs
The BioPOETS' philosophy of developing soft-state microfluidic BASIC
modules is to create effective tools for future biological and medical
lab-on-a-chip applications using polymers. The BASICs can be created by
connecting existing and novel nanofluidic or microfluidic circuits in
new ways. We are creating a library of these building blocks in order
to develop multifunctional biochip systems: large scale single cell
analysis chip, patch-clamps arrays, integrated SERS sensors on
microfluidics, cell culture chips, sample preparation chips, high
density cell trapping devices, cell lysing chips, cell manipulators,
fast solution exchange microfluidic device, single cell electroporation
arrays, and cell-cell communication devices.
Soft-state Biological Devices
Soft-state physics deals with soft materials at room temperature,
such as polymers, biomolecular polymers, gels, colloidal particles,
molecular films, or liquid crystals. In nature there are many examples
of remarkable soft condensed systems with neural networks including
visual systems, nerve systems, and our body. Biological soft solids are
from proteins, which are biomolecular polymers. The most important
biomolecular polymer is DNA, which stores genetic information.
Moreover, soft-state materials (i.e. plastics or polymers) are
ubiquitous nowadays. The BioPOETS would like to focus on the insect
eyes and study the beauty of biophotonic system to create advanced
biologically inspired optical systems (BiOS) using soft-state materials
for medical devices as well as sensitive biological sensors.
BioPOEMS
The BioPOEMS are the hybrid system integrations of biophotonics and
disposable nano- or microfluidic devices. As examples of nanoscale
BioPOEMS, nanocavity-based biomolecular optoelectronic junctions are
being developed for single molecular detection biochip, label-free
bioassays, and protein folding/unfolding detections. For microscale
BioPOEMS, micro-Confocal Imaging Array ( CIA), disposable Self-aligned
Integrated Microfluidic Optical Devices (SIMOD), microarrays of total
internal reflection fluorescent microscopy (TIRFM) on-a-chip, and
Biologically-Inspired Optical Systems (BiOS) are developed for the
simultaneous measurement of multiple parameters in the same sample at
the same time.
In summary, the goals of BioPOETS are the development of
functional biopoetic devices (i.e. high-speed, accurate, inexpensive,
high throughput, and nanoscopic molecular analysis systems), the
quantitative measurements of cellular dynamics in both space and time
to decipher biological information, and writing sound papers on
molecular medicine.