Projects
Inventing plasmonic nanomaterials
Plasmonic nanostructures exhibit a unique combination of physical, chemical, and biological properties, such as large absorption and scattering cross-sections, high sensitivity to the local dielectric environment, and an enhanced electric field at the surface. We use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a bioimaging modality for spectral-guided surgery. We fabricate plasmonic nanomaterials with tunable optical properties by adjusting the surface chemistry and texture of designer materials. The integration of metal structures and organic materials form a powerful platform for a wide variety of applications including plasmonic photovoltaics, chemical and biological sensors, bioimaging, and therapeutics.
- Design and fabrication of plasmonic nanostructure
- Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate
- Invention of ultrabright SERS nanotag for therapy and diagnosis
Deep Raman techniques for in vivo detection
Non-invasive localization of human lesions remains a long-standing pursuit for clinical applications. Optical modalities are widely used for biomedical imaging and diagnosing. But due to the strong photon absorption and scattering of biological tissues, it is challenging to realize in vivo non-invasive detection via optical modalities. We address this tissue with the use of in vivo surface-enhanced transmission Raman spectroscopy (TRS). We achieve non-invasive localization of deep lesions hidden in living animals and precisely predicted the depth of deep-seated lesions in heterogeneous in vivo environments.
- Tissue optics simulation of light transportation
- Transmission Raman spectroscopy (TRS)
- Spatially-offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS)
- TRS setup implementation for non-invasive in vivo detection
Label-free Raman spectroscopy for cancer diagnosis
Modern cancer diagnosis requires histological, molecular and genomic tumor analysis. These approaches are usually resource-intensive and time-consuming. We use highly specific Raman spectroscopy to differentiate the diseased part by the contribution of Raman-active molecules in different tissues. The detected signal provides molecular information that enables accurate cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Our label-free detection research often push the limits of existing technologies. We thus use the computational power of machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve our understanding of the spectral properties of biomolecules.
- Fiber-optics Raman probe for in situ diagnosis
- Euclidean distance-based Raman spectroscopy (EDRS)
- Raman spectral processing and information extraction
Exploring bio-material interfaces in cellular scenarios
Nanomaterials have emerging applications in medical implants, cell delivery, and in vivo neuromodulation. The interaction of biomolecules with metal nanostructures can be studied by investigating the near-field plasmon effects. We rationally design the plasmonic nanomaterials that serve as miniaturized antennas to display the biological activity for the investigation of cellular metabolism or phenotype development in living and non-living matter.
- Biocompatible surface functionalization
- Selective biomolecule sensing
- Cellular or subcellular metabolism study