Principal Investigator Ralph Weissleder
There is a need for better detection platforms for specific mammalian cells, bacteria and viruses implicated in human disease. Traditional tools such as culture and biochemical analysis are often slow, rely on fixed (i.e. dead) tissue and require skilled personnel or specialized facilities. Recently, several rapid testing platforms based on nanotechnology and microfluidics have been developed in the lab. For example, we have developed a miniaturized nuclear magnetic resonance system (µNMR), Hall sensor based chips and single cell analysis systems. These devices are designed to be simple and sensitive enough so that they can be used in a clinical point-of-care device. Several clinical trials are ongoing including: (1) detection of circulating cancer cells in peripheral blood; (2) exosome profiling in cancer patients undergoing treatment; (3) profiling of freshly harvested human cancer cells to measure treatment response to drugs and (4) detection of pathogens in clinical samples.