Bio-Photonics
The term bio-photonics denotes a combination of biology-based sciences and photonics-based technologies. It can also be described as the “development and application of optical techniques, particularly imaging, to the study of biological molecules, cells, and tissue.” In this lab, we examine the origins and construction of liquid crystal biosensors and their applications in the detection of viruses, including Covid-19, influenza, herpes, a variety of bacteria, proteins, nucleic acids, and small chemical molecules. Liquid crystal biosensors are based on changes in the orientation of liquid crystal molecules induced by specific bonding events of biomolecules. Furthermore, we work on the phenomenon of dielectrophoresis (DEP) and optically induced DEP (ODEP), in which a force is applied to a dielectric particle when it is exposed to a non-uniform electric field. ODEP can be used to manipulate particles or cells, and we aim to use it to isolate high-purity free-label cells.
