Research

Our research focuses on the development of novel bioluminescent SLPs (BSLPs) that provide unprecedented sensitivity and selectivity for RNA sensing and demonstrate its application in sensing of viral persistency. The development of a BSLP would enhance sensitivity of current SLP-based detection systems by retaining the rugged versatility and broad applicability of its fluorescent counterparts while exhibiting low background and high detection sensitivity and the negligible effect of matrix on bioluminescence signal will provide for rapid detection of RNA using BSLPs in any sample matrix.

Our laboratory focuses on a variety of nucleic acid detection strategies including reporter probe hybridization, rolling circle amplification, recombinase polymerase amplification, and incorporation of zinc-finger binding protein tags in order to develop technologies suitable for the detection of viruses and bacteria for resource-poor settings. These nucleic acid detection methods are adapted to paper-based detection for the development of portable, inexpensive platforms.

We have designed a point-of-care cell phone-based device which utilizes bioluminescent bacteria to detect pathogenic bacteria. This device can detect urinary tract infection and at the same time detect antibiotic resistance using whole-cells of bioluminescent bacteria Photobacterium leiognathi and an in-house fusion protein Tamavidin-Gluc (Gaussia luciferase).

Reports in the early 1990s established the feasibility of transferring naked plasmid DNA into skeletal muscle. We have developed a dendrimer nanocarrier which utilizes targeting peptides to enhance gene delivery to target cells. Nanoparticles provide an extremely versatile platform which is being explored for various therapeutic delivery applications, such as delivery of cancer therapeutics.