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SUMMARY:Nanopore Sensor for Biophysical and Biomedical Applications
DTSTART:20230620T141500
DTEND:20230620T151500
DTSTAMP:20260509T101005Z
UID:41b78e918e7eb87f4668455cc8a1bbcbef9829a7ce872e197f66bb2c
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Slaven Garaj\, Ph.D.\, Department of Physics and Department of
  Biomedical Engineering\, National University of Singapore (SG)\nBIOENGINE
 ERING SEMINAR\n \nAbstract:\nThe nanopores are used to examine the fundam
 entals of water and ion transport\, to analyze biomolecules and biostructu
 res\, and they revolutionized DNA sequencing. The sensor comprises a singl
 e few-nanometer scaled pore fabricated in a free-standing membrane separat
 ing two microfluidic chambers. The nanopore is the sole route for transpor
 ting biomolecules between the chambers and could be used to interrogate su
 ch biomolecules individually. Combining single-molecule detection with hig
 h throughput\, the nanopores allow for exploration heterogeneity in biostr
 uctures with high statistics.\n\nI will first introduce the nanopore senso
 rs as an indispensable tool in biophysics\, which could reveal hitherto hi
 dden properties of DNA. Exploring dynamic and static properties of DNA kno
 ts at the single molecule level\, we addressed a long-lasting question of 
 the size of the knots and revealed the existence of rare complex knots. We
  showed that DNA becomes malleable at the short time- and length-scales\, 
 diverging from the standard polymer model. We observed an onset of attract
 ive inter-DNA interaction moderated purely by monovalent ions at high conc
 entrations. Next\, I will present our efforts to develop new classes of tw
 o-dimensional amorphous nanopores\, with significantly reduced noise and b
 iofouling compared to the other pores.  Lastly\, I will present our trans
 lational project\, the development of a new affinity nanopore sensor for d
 etecting biomarkers\, with sensitivity and speed increased by two orders o
 f magnitude compared to the traditional methods. Such a sensor could be us
 ed with the blood-droplet volume of the analyte\, leading to new venues fo
 r continuous and seamless biomarker monitoring.\n\n\nBio:\nSlaven Garaj’
 s research is focused on emerging nanoscale phenomena at the interfaces be
 tween soft and hard matter\, with a particular interest in nanopores singl
 e-molecule sensors\, nanofluidic\, and two-dimensional (2D) materials for 
 membrane application. His pioneering research on graphene nanopores kick-s
 tarted the field of nanofluidics with 2D materials\, while his study of th
 e graphene-oxide laminar membranes demonstrated their feasibility for ion-
 exchange applications. His research received keen attention in the media (
 BBC\, Natural History Magazine\, Technology Review\, C&E News\, etc.). Whi
 le pursuing in-depth scientific understanding\, his research group drives 
 the development of technologies in medical diagnostics\, water filtration\
 , and energy harvesting – and related patents are licensed to biotech an
 d cleantech companies. A spin-off company from his lab\, reActo\, won the 
 ExtremeTech Challenge award for the best cleantech startup in Southeast As
 ia in 2022\, allowing it to present its technology at the central stage of
  the Global TechCrunch conference in San Francisco. Slaven Garaj joined Na
 tional University of Singapore in 2012 as faculty member in the Department
 s of Physics and Biomedical Engineering\, and has been awarded the prestig
 ious NRF Fellowship. He is a PI at the program Critical Analytics for Manu
 facturing Personalized-medicine\, under Singapore-MIT Alliance for Researc
 h and Technology. Previously\, he worked as a research scientist at Harvar
 d University\, and conducted his PhD thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute
  of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in the field of condensed-matter physics
 .  www.garaj-lab.org\n\n\nZoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.
 zoom.us/j/68498284002\n 
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717 https://epfl.zoom.u
 s/j/68498284002
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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