analytics

Assay development
Complex diseases are often associated with changes in the expression levels of many genes. These changes are currently only detectable in centralized labs by trained experts using sophisticated instruments. To make medicine more equitable, we are developing “biomolecular computers” to diagnose diseases with minimal instrumentation and user-intervention. In contrast to silicon computers, biocomputers will be much smaller, lighter, and will be able to operate directly on patient derived analytes (e.g. DNA, RNA or proteins) without the need for an external power supply. We envision these capabilities to expand the range of diseases that can be diagnosed at the point-of-care.

Single-cell profiling
Cell-type diversity and cell-cell interactions underlie the formation of multicellular tissues and diseases such as cancer. These interactions involve both soluble signaling and physical contacts between cells, and together constitute ‘signaling programs’ that determine cellular behaviors. Deciphering the nature of this circuit is the first and foremost challenge towards precision and personalized medicine. We are developing technologies to perform precise, multiplexed, and spatially resolved single cell analyses. Ultimately, this will allow better understanding of cells and engineered cell therapies.

Probe discovery
Advances in genomics and the declining cost of sequencing have made it feasible to detect pathogens and diseases by sequencing the RNA or DNA in heterogeneous biological samples. However, a common challenge is to find the rare, trace amounts of tell-tale molecules in an overwhelming amount of background signals. To overcome this challenge, we are developing probes that are brighter and binds targets more specifically by combining computational design, DNA nanotechnology, and synthetic biology. These probes will enable the detection of biomolecules with greater sensitivity and specificity. We work with biologists and clinicians to validate probe performance under different modalities.