High resolution multimodal SPR imaging instrumentation for the development of cell-based photonics biosensors

生物传感器，也被称为芯片上的实验室，是设计用于个性化医疗、快速医疗诊断、药物发现和环境分析的生物分析设备。大多数生物传感器的工作原理是化学检测特定的“生物分子标记”，如病原体或环境污染物。然而，有许多应用无法找到可靠的标记。在这种情况下，基于活生物细胞的“高级”生物传感器是一个强大的选择。事实上，细胞是复杂的自包含的微型机器，可以用作生物传感的基础，细胞对其环境的反应本身就是传感机制。纳米技术的最新进展和对等离子体亚波长现象的理论理解为微型生物传感开辟了许多新的令人兴奋的可能性。在接下来的5年里，我的研究计划寻求通过开发新型高分辨率多模态仪器来利用这些进步，这些仪器旨在发现新的知识，了解细胞如何对当地环境的变化做出反应，以响应疾病因素、病原体或污染物的存在。这一新知识将导致下一代基于细胞的生物传感器的发展，旨在解决危重病护理和个性化医疗中一些最紧迫的需求。

Biosensors, also known as labs-on-a-chip, are bioanalytical devices designed for use in personalized medicine, rapid medical diagnostics, drug discovery and environmental analysis. Most biosensors work by chemically detecting specific "biomolecular markers" such as pathogens or environmental contaminants. There are many applications, however, for which no reliable markers can be found. In such cases, "higher-level" biosensors based on live biological cells are a powerful alternative. Indeed, cells are complex self-contained miniaturized machines that can be used as the basis for biosensing, where the cell response to its environment is in itself the sensing mechanism. Recent advances in nanotechnology and theoretical understanding of sub-wavelength phenomena in plasmonics have opened up many new and exciting possibilities for miniaturized biosensing. My research program over the next 5 years seeks to capitalize on these advances by developing novel high-resolution multi-modal instrumentation designed to discover new enabling knowledge on how cells react to changes in their local environment in response to the presence of disease factors, pathogens, or contaminants. This new knowledge will lead to the development of next-generation cell-based biosensors designed to address some of the most pressing needs in critical care and personalized medicine.