BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:EPFL BioE Talks SERIES "Toward Ubiquitous NanoBiosensing: Sustaina ble Devices Powering the Future of Point-of-Care Diagnostics" DTSTART:20260420T121500 DTEND:20260420T131500 DTSTAMP:20260403T222727Z UID:45178c4556d9b4e186f846722125d09a2df69e5adecaa993f16d48f4 CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:Prof. Arben Merkoçi\, Institut Català de Nanociència i Nan otecnologia (ICN2)\, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain\n\n \nWEEKLY EPFL BIOE TALKS SERIES (sandwiches provided)\n\nAbstract:\nNanobiosensors have lon g promised to move advanced diagnostics beyond centralized laboratories an d into the hands of users\, communities\, and environments where they are most urgently needed. After decades of rapid progress in nanomaterials and sensing performance\, the field now stands at a pivotal moment: the chall enge is no longer whether we can detect with extraordinary sensitivity\, b ut whether we can do so in ways that are sustainable\, scalable\, and glob ally accessible.\nThis talk envisions a future in which point-of-care bios ensing becomes an integral part of everyday life through the coupling of a dvanced nanomaterials with sustainable platforms. Paper-based substrates a nd environmentally friendly fabrication methods\, such as inkjet printing and stamping\, enable a new paradigm of decentralized manufacturing\, one that supports rapid deployment during global health emergencies\, continuo us environmental monitoring\, and personalized\, wearable healthcare.\nBy integrating biorecognition elements\, including antibodies and nucleic-aci d–based receptors such as DNA probes and aptamers with functional nanoma terials\, including metallic nanoparticles\, quantum dots\, and two-dimens ional materials\, these biosensors achieve high sensitivity and specificit y while remaining robust outside traditional laboratory settings. REASSURE D-guided design\, focusing on real-time connectivity\, ease of use\, affor dability\, sensitivity\, specificity\, rapid and user-friendly results\, m inimal equipment\, and deliverability\, ensures devices are intuitive\, co st-effective\, and provide actionable information in real time\, often via visual or smartphone-based readouts.\nSpanning applications from infectio us disease surveillance and cancer diagnostics to neurodegenerative diseas e monitoring and water quality assessment\, this work highlights a transfo rmative shift: from isolated diagnostic tools to ubiquitous sensing ecosys tems. Ultimately\, sustainable nanobiosensors offer a pathway toward more resilient healthcare systems\, empowered communities\, and a future where access to critical information is no longer constrained by infrastructure or geography.\n\nBio:\nICREA Research Professor and leader of the ICN2 Nan obioelectronics and Biosensors Group\, Arben Merkoçi obtained his PhD at the University of Tirana (Albania) working with in ion selective electrode s. Since 1992 he has carried out research as postdoctoral fellow and resea rch professor at the Polytechnic University of Budapest (Hungary)\, Univer sity of Ioannina (Greece)\, Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy)\, Un iversitat Politècnica de Catalunya\, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona a nd New Mexico State University (USA). His research is focused on the integ ration of biological molecules and other species with micro- and nanostruc tures to design novel (bio)sensors.\nProf. Arben Merkoçi is member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania and director and coordinator of NANOBALKAN (www.nanobalkan.al)\, the Regional Center of Nanoscience and Nanotechnolo gy. He is member of the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC\, 2024)\, Mem ber of Institute of Catalan Studies and Academy of Sciences of Bologna Ins titute.\nProf. Merkoçi has been Member of the ALLEA Working Group on the European Research Area and Chair of the ERA’s Working Group of the Europ ean Federation of Academies of Sciences. He is Member of Advisory Council of Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora (READ)\, founded in 2021 by the Albanian-American Development Foundation. He has been member of The Accreditation Board of Quality Assurance Agency in Higher Education of Al bania during 4 years.\nHe is Co-Editor in Chief of Biosensors and Bioelect ronics\, Elsevier journal\, the most important international journal in bi osensors. Also\, he is member of W&T3 Project panel on Condensed Matter of Research Foundation Flanders (FWO\, Belgium\, 2024)\; of FIS 2 Selection Committee - sector PE4 (Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca”\, Italy\, 2024)\; of the ERC Starting Grant Call 2021-2024 (EU Commission\, Brussels)\; of the External Scientific Advisory Committee of The Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC\, Barcelona\, Spain\, 2022-now) \; of the Scientific Board of Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM/CATRIN Olomouc\, Check Republic\, acting every year sinc e 2018 to now)\nProf. Merkoçi has published 375 scientific articles and s upervised 40 PhD theses. He is also involved in teaching PhD courses in th e field of nanomaterial- based biosensors in several Spanish and internati onal centres. He has been a member of the commission for establishing the new Nanoscience and Nanotechnology undergraduate academic curriculum at th e UAB\, the first one in Spain\, which started during the academic year 20 10- 2011. He is a member of the Academics Working Group of BIST and coordi nator of the Nanodiagnostics module of the Nanotechnology Master at the UA B.\nHe has got several national and international grants related to nanoma terials application in biosensors and his group is collaborating with seve ral worldwide leading labs in the field of nanobiosensors. Prof. Merkoçi serves also as scientific evaluator and member of panels of experts of var ious international governmental and nongovernmental agencies (EU-FP and EU -ERC panels and other panels in Europe\, USA and other countries)\, as a s cientific committee member of many international congresses\, director of several workshops and other scientific events and have been invited to giv e plenary lectures\, keynote and invited speeches in more than 250 occasio ns in various countries. Prof. Merkoçi is the co-founder of two spin-off companies: GraphenicaLab\, devoted to graphene patterning\, and PaperDiagn ostis\, dedicated to clinical diagnostics.\n\nRead more about Prof. Merko çi’s CV at:\nhttps://www.icrea.cat/community/icreas/17615/arben-merkoci /\nhttps://www.nanobiosensors.org/group-leader/ \nhttps://icn2.cat/en/nan obioelectronics-and-biosensors-group/arben-merkoci\n\n\nZoom link (with o ne-time registration for the whole series) for attending remotely: https: //go.epfl.ch/EPFLBioETalks\n\n\nInstructions for 1st-year Ph.D. students p lanning to attend this talk\, who are under EDBB’s mandatory seminar att endance rule:\nIN CASE you cannot attend in-person in the room\, please ma ke sure to\n\n send Fiorella Ghisays a note well ahead of time (ideally before seminar day)\, informing that you plan to attend the talk online\, and\, during seminar:\n be signed in on Zoom with a recognizable user name (not any alias making it difficult or impossible to identify you).\n\nStu dents attending the seminar in-person should collect a confirmation signat ure after the talk - please print your own signature sheet beforehand (69 kB pdf available for download here). IMPORTANTLY: hang on to this sheet as no signature record is being kept by anyone else!\n\n\n  LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717 https://go.epfl.ch/ EPFLBioETalks STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR