Talk Title: Nanobiosensors platforms for diagnostics applications: from optical to electrical devices
Arben Merkoçi is currently ICREA Professor and director of the Nanobioelectronics & Biosensors Group at Institut Català de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), part of Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST). Prof.Merkoçi is member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania and director and coordinator of NANOALB (www.nanoalb.al), the regional network of nanoscience and nanotechnology. After his PhD (1991) at Tirana University (Albania), in the topic of Ion-Selective-Electrodes (ISEs) Dr. Merkoçi worked as postdoc and senior researcher/invited professor in the field of nanobiosensors and lab-on-a-chip technologies in Italy, Spain, USA and since 2006 at ICN2. Prof. Merkoçi research is focused on the design and application of cutting edge nanotechnology and nanoscience based cost/efficient biosensors. The paper/plastic-based nanobiosensors involve integration of biological molecules (DNA, antibodies, cells and enzymes) and other (bio)receptors with micro- and nanostructures/motors and applied in diagnostics, environmental monitoring or safety and security. He has published around 330 peer review research papers (H index: 76 WOS; 87 GS), supervised 35 PhD students and has been invited to give plenary lectures and keynote speeches in around 200 occasions in various countries. Prof. Merkoçi is Co-Editor In-Chief of Biosensors and Bioelectronics (Elsevier), the major international journal in the field and member of Editorial Board of other journals. He is co-founder of two spin-off companies, PaperDrop (http://paperdropdx.com/) dedicated to nanodiagnostics and GraphenicaLab (http://graphenicalab.com/) to electronic printing.
See more details on his group and CV at: https://icn2.cat/en/nanobioelectronics-and-biosensors-group https://www.icrea.cat/security/files/researchers/files-maintenance/full_cv_amerkoci_0.pdf
http://www.nanobiosensors.org/group-leader/
Nanobiosensors platforms for diagnostics applications: from optical to electrical devices.
Arben Merkoçi
Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
ICREA – Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: arben.merkoci@icn2.cat
The development of point-of-care devices is one of the most important R&D in the area of health diagnostics in addition to environment monitoring and other fields. There is a high demand to develop innovative and cost effective devices with interest for health care. The development of such devices is strongly related to new materials and technologies being nanomaterials and nanotechnology of special role. These devices should be REASSURED: Real-time connectivity, Ease of specimen collection, Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid, Robust, Equipment-free, Delivered to those who need it. How to design simple plastic/paper-based biosensor architectures including wearables through printing or stamping? How to tune their analytical performance upon demand? How one can couple nanomaterials with paper/plastics and what is the benefit? Which are the perspectives to link these simple platforms and detection technologies with mobile communication? I will try to give responses to these questions through various interesting with extreme interest for clinical emergency applications that include detection of proteins, cancer cells, virus and other important biomarkers. These devices and corresponding technologies are related to ubiquitous methods that would be quite important for democratising diagnosis and improving healthcare coverage.