Real-time sensing of neurotransmitters from stem cell-derived neural interface using hybrid nanoarrays

Description:
This presentation will focus on the interface between nanobiosensing and stem cell therapies. Even though it is well known that stem cells can be differentiated into many different types of cells under specific microenvironmental cues and the related stem cell therapy has shown promise for the regenerative treatment of neurological disorders, our understanding of the function of the microenvironment and gene expression in stem cells is hampered by the limitations of conventional methods and the lack of extensive knowledge of multiple regulatory signals. As such, to realize the full potential of stem cell therapeutic applications, there is an urgent need for advanced biosensors that can not only effectively identify stem cell fate but also do so in a non-destructive, real-time, and quantitative manner.
Addressing the aforementioned challenges, our research mainly focuses on developing nanotechnology-based biosensing methods to achieve real-time, non-destructive, and highly sensitive/selective detection of key biomarkers (e.g., proteins, oligonucleotides, and small molecules) in stem cell fate transition. One of the above approaches includes developing a non-destructive, selective, and sensitive detection nanosensing platform that has (i) an immunomagnetic active component for exosome isolation and (ii) a plasmonic/metal-enhanced fluorescence component for sensitive exosomal miRNA detection to characterize stem cell differentiation. Another approach includes a novel cell-based sensing platform [large-scale Nano-Electrode Arrays (NEAs)] capable of achieving real-time and highly sensitive electrochemical/spectroscopic detection of neurotransmitters produced from stem cell-based neural interface.
In this presentation, a summary of the most updated results from these efforts and future directions will be discussed.

Speaker: KiBum Lee - Rutgers University
KiBum Lee is a distinguished professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University, where he has been a faculty since 2008. The primary research interest of his group is to develop and integrate nanotechnologies and chemical biology to modulate signaling pathways in stem cells and cancer cells toward specific cell lineages or behaviors. In particular, his group is exploring critical problems in cancer research and stem cell biology regarding cell-microenvironmental interactions and how to control these interactions at the subcellular and single-cell level using interdisciplinary and transformative approaches.
He has received several awards, including NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards, JSPS Fellowship, ACS New Directions Award, Board of Trustees Research Award for Scholarly Excellence.
He is the first author, co-author, and corresponding author of approximately 130 articles published in high-profile journals, which are highly cited (>11,000).