Bionanotechnology and Biosensors

Research Director: Professor Tony Cass

The properties of matter at the nanoscale (1-100nm)  are often quite different from those at either the molecular or micro-scales and open the way to developing new materials, tools and devices for application in the biomedical and life sciences. The area where nanoscale science meets biology is known as bionanotechnology and encompasses both biomedical applications (sensors, coatings, drug delivery, imaging) and bioinspired devices and processes.

Research projects, many in collaboration with the other faculties, include:

• Molecular engineering of biomolecules (proteins, peptides and aptamers) as sensing elements - we use peptide and aptamer synthesis or molecular biological techniques to generate novel reagents for sensing clinically relevant target analytes.  We are extending the use of these molecules into microarray based methods.
• Stem Cell Proteomics - stem cells growing in culture exhibit changes in their protein profiles as a consequence of expansion and differentiation. Proteomics gives us an insight into the factors that control these process and we are using both 'conventional' and nanoparticle based approaches in this area.
• Minimally Invasive Biosensors - very small sensors are by definition much less painful when inserted into the body and also require much less sample for making a measurement.  We are developing platforms that integrate microsampling, microfluidics and ultra sensitive detection of key biomarkers for disease diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring.