Scott Manalis

A significant research challenge facing us is how can we develop a well-defined interface between the aqueous biological environment and silicon, the primary material of the digital world?

The Nanoscale Sensing group develops high throughput, real-time, and quantitative measurement techniques for extracting information from biological systems. This is accomplished by microfabricating devices for novel molecular detection schemes, and applying these devices to biomolecular recognition. One significant challenge is posed by the need for a well-defined interface between the aqueous biological environment and silicon. To meet this challenge, the group joins methodologies of physics, device engineering, chemistry, and molecular biology.

Quantitative measurement techniques that provide an instantaneous readout of a multi-dimensional parameter space are critical for furthering our understanding of biological processes, and ultimately for advancing our health. Many critical characteristics of a living system can be discovered by monitoring parameters such as DNA sequence variation, gene expression, and protein interactions as a function of time, physiological response, and disease. However, the sample preparation and large sample volumes required for the detection process, coupled with the difficulty of scaling current methodology, severely limits assay throughput. As a result, the labor and cost required to collect even a single parameter set represents a substantial bottleneck.

Current research projects primarily focus on: the development of mechanical and electrical detectors for monitoring the interactions of specific biomolecules; real-time detection of DNA using silicon field-effect detection; and the integration of mechanical and electrical detectors with microfluidics.