Probing biosystems with two-dimensional (2D) materials provides tremendous opportunities for highly sensitive detection of physiological properties at the molecular level, which can pave the way toward early-stage disease diagnosis and improved healthcare outcomes. In this talk, I will introduce the process we have developed for scalable fabrication of 2D-biosensor arrays for multiplexed detection of disease biomarkers, where a graphene field effect transistor (GFET) is utilized for signal transduction, and a biomolecular layer, e.g., protein, nuclide acid, serves as the biological recognition element. Further, integrating the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) process with GFET readout leads to oligonucleotide detection with sensitivity at the aM level. Looking to the future, I will discuss the synthesis of crystalline multilayer graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide materials with band gaps, providing a pathway toward next-generation biosensors with even greater sensitivity. Finally, I will discuss the ongoing development of a universal sensing platform based on aptamer-GFET biosensors that is potentially useful for wearable electronics for detecting health and performance biomarkers in sweat.
Dr. Gao completed his B.Eng. and Ph.D. in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Since 2014, he has been a post-doctoral researcher at the Nano/Bio Interface Center and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania. In Oct 2019, Dr. Gao joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as an Assistant Professor and established the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (MDL). His research interests include all-electronic biosensors for disease diagnosis, wearable electronics, and two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials.
Probing biosystems with two-dimensional (2D) materials provides tremendous opportunities for highly sensitive detection of physiological properties at the molecular level, which can pave the way toward early-stage disease diagnosis and improved healthcare outcomes. In this talk, I will introduce the process we have developed for scalable fabrication of 2D-biosensor arrays for multiplexed detection of disease biomarkers, where a graphene field effect transistor (GFET) is utilized for signal transduction, and a biomolecular layer, e.g., protein, nuclide acid, serves as the biological recognition element. Further, integrating the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) process with GFET readout leads to oligonucleotide detection with sensitivity at the aM level. Looking to the future, I will discuss the synthesis of crystalline multilayer graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide materials with band gaps, providing a pathway toward next-generation biosensors with even greater sensitivity. Finally, I will discuss the ongoing development of a universal sensing platform based on aptamer-GFET biosensors that is potentially useful for wearable electronics for detecting health and performance biomarkers in sweat.
Dr. Gao completed his B.Eng. and Ph.D. in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Since 2014, he has been a post-doctoral researcher at the Nano/Bio Interface Center and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania. In Oct 2019, Dr. Gao joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as an Assistant Professor and established the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory (MDL). His research interests include all-electronic biosensors for disease diagnosis, wearable electronics, and two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials.
