(Invited) Engineering the Bio-Interface at the Nanoscale for Diagnostics and Therapeutics Applications

Miniaturized platforms such as micro/nano patterned interfaces and microfluidic devices provide powerful tools to study biological phenomena at micro and nano scale and to develop novel technologies for a variety of biomedical applications such as point of care diagnostics, cell sorting and dug discovery. The biological/non-biological interface system is an important cornerstone for the fabrication of biomedical devices. Platforms as diverse as lab-on-chip and point-of-care diagnostics, 3D tissue culture scaffolds, organs-on-chips and implants all rely on the effective interaction of cells and/or bio-recognition elements (proteins/peptides, enzymes, antibodies, etc.) with non-biological surfaces. An overview of our research on micro/nano-scale design of novel biomedical coatings and their integration into medical devices such as biosensors, catheters, vascular grafts as well as flexible sensing interfaces will be presented. More specifically, I will discuss our recently developed technologies for the design and development of devices with omniphobic lubricant-infused coatings that provide simultaneous repellency and targeted binding of desired biological species where bio-fouling and coagulation is minimized.