Biomedical Physics Laboratory

We explore and manipulate the light-matter interaction of molecules. Our recent research activities focus on studying and developing biomolecules and methods for biomedical imaging and sensing applications.

Selected Research Projects

Genetically encodable fluorescent probes

Fluorescence microscopy is a major approach to investigating biological systems due to its non-invasive detection, sensitivity and imaging flexibility. Super-resolution microscopy (nanoscopy) further breaks the Abbe diffraction limit offering the unprecedented spatial resolution that was only achievable with electron microscopy previously. A critical requirement in the development and applications of nanoscopy is proper molecular probes. Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are an essential category of such molecular probes owing to their unique genetic encodability and the ability to be modulated by light. We are developing a rare type FPs suitable for nanoscopy through directed evolution.

PCCP 24, 14310 (2022)
J Phys Chem B 126, 4659 (2022)
Biochem 59, 3669 (2020)
Integr Biol 10, 516 (2018)

Cell isolation

Cell sorting platforms are essential tools for the development of biomedicine and biotechnology. Isolation of cells can be achieved with various methods, such as flow cytometers, microfluidic sorters and imaging cytometers. We develop a variety of cell screening and sorting platforms for various requirements and purposes of research.

Lab Chip 20, 834 (2020)

Metal enhanced fluorescence

Fluorescence has become an essential detection technique in medical diagnostics and biotechnology due to its precision, speed, and low cost. Although fluorescence is highly sensitive and can easily detect single molecules, there is still a need to pursue even lower detection limits. Additionally, in biological fluorescence labeling and imaging, the concentration of fluorescent molecules attached to targets is typically low, resulting in weak fluorescence signals and challenges in photostability. Excitingly, since Drexhage proposed Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) in the 1970s, there has been explosive growth in research related to fluorescence enhancement near metal nanostructures.

MEF primarily utilizes the coupling between plasmons in metal nanostructures and fluorescent materials to overcome the photophysical constraints of fluorescent dyes. This interaction between fluorescent dyes and metals is referred to as radiative decay engineering, metal-enhanced fluorescence, or surface-enhanced fluorescence.

Super resolution Stimulated Raman spectroscopy imaging(Positive type reversibly switching fluorescent proteins)

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) have become indispensable in biological and biomedical sciences owing to their genetic encoadability and light-modulation capability. Though FPs play an important role in super-resolution microscopy and have been used in Reversible Saturable Optical Fluorescence Transition microscopy (RESOLFT), one of the super-resolution methods, due to their photo-induced cis-trans isomerization, the broad fluorescence bandwidth hampers FPs’ applications in multi-color imaging. In contrast, stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SRS) possesses narrow bandwidths and thus is advantageous for multiplex super-resolution imaging techniques. This work explores Raman signals of FPs under various excitation conditions for potential super-resolution SRS microscopy applications.

Biosensing chip

Pancreatic cancer is the twelfth most common cancer globally and the prognosis five-year survival rate remains low due to the difficulty in diagnosis at the early stage. We are developing an electronic biosensing chip to achieve the early detection of pancreatic cancer biomarkers.

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