Nanodiagnostics and Nanotechnologies
Dr. Slaughter's research team has focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and wound healing. These efforts have led to the development of four different medical device applications.
We are currently developing non-invasive devices to better and earlier diagnose diseases. Particular attention is given to enzyme electrodes for monitoring glucose in connection to the management of diabetes. We are focusing our attention on new nanomaterial-based electrochemical biosensors by exploring new nanoparticle-based signal amplification and carbon-nanotube molecular wires for achieving efficient electrical communication with redox enzymes. The sensitivity of our lactate specific (lactate oxidase) and glucose specific (glucose oxidase) biosensor devices is capable of detecting picomolar concentrations of analytes in phosphate buffered saline. The goal is to increase the linear dynamic measuring range to cover and extend beyond the normal physiologic range and to extend the operational and storage stability of the biosensors.
We are working on the fabrication and the implementation of a medical device for the treatment of wounds and burns. We proposed to make this Bio-Patch a SMART by studying the use of electrical potential to release growth factors from cell free extracellular matrices. All living cells synthesize a thick mat of proteins to survive both in vivo and in vitro. Different cells use different proteins when they construct this matrix. Some cells enrich the matrix with potent wound healing growth factors as the matrix is being made. These growth factors are longer lived when stored in the matrix and are more potent when released with matrix molecules. We hope to develop a way to trick cells into synthesizing a matrix enriched with the growth factors we want for either the treatment of a burn or of a common laceration or a bite or a cut.
We are working on the development of a novel plant nutrient uptake mechanism. Using supraparamagnetic nanoparticles, we've bound these particles to nutrients and fluorophore. The fluorophores were selected because they are capable of generating flurocence. The labeled-nutrients therefore delivers the nanaoparticle to the surface of the plants and binds there. We can inject the nutrient tagged with the nanoparticle into the vein of a plant, and monitor the mechanism of nutrient in plants.
Nanobioelectronics is a rapidly developing field aimed at integrating nano- and biomaterials with electronic transducers. Our interests include: the bioelectronic detection of self-assembly of nanostructures, nanoparticle-based bioassays, design of novel composite nanowires, bionanomaterials; and magnetically-controlled electrode processes. Our effort aims at developing field-deployable microanalyzers for protecting the safety of society, for ensuring our food safety, and protecting our water supplies. The development of microfabricated, microfluidic, analytical devices and integrating multiple sample handling processes with the actual measurement step represents the fastest developing field in analytical chemistry. We are developing and designing highly sensitive remote and submersible microchip and compact instruments for in situ and continuous monitoring of major water contaminants, ranging from toxic metals (e.g. mercury, arsenic, lead,) to organic pollutants (e.g. pesticides, phenols, hydrazines). We are designing a tiny, nanoscale-based biosensor to detect E.coli to allow rapid field screening, assessment of the fate of E. coli contamination, and of related remediation processes. This "lab-on-a-chip" device will offer tremendous potential for obtaining the desired information in a faster, simpler and cheaper manner compared to traditional laboratory-based instruments and assays.