Enabling Disease Bioanalysis Using Unconventional Approaches

Transformative measurement strategies are often the result of developing/applying new or unsuspected chemical and physical phenomena with creativity, ingenuity, and the knowledge that every mainstream analytical tool had a start. Bioanalyses to determine diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and immune responses swiftly and with high accuracy and precision to act in time for therapy to make a difference are at the edge of our analytical capabilities, and are in much need for transformative ideas. Such analysis are particularly difficult because of the need to identify markers and molecules at low concentrations within complex matrices such as blood, fluids, and tissues. The creative spark, making use of new nano, micro, and fluidic tools that enable measurement in time and space becomes essential to solve these complex problems. To this point, our symposium aims to highlight researchers using an exciting set of unconventional techniques rooted in catalysis, liquid/liquid interfaces, electrochemistry, electronics, microfluidics, and emerging genomic tools to demonstrate how emerging tools and concepts born in different fields can be translated into the origin stories of new methods for bionalysis. Although our emphasis will be on measuring disease biomarkers, we believe the approaches and research philosophies described here will have an impact in applications beyond. The symposium highlights a high diversity in gender (2 female, 2 male), ethnical diversity (Hispanic, Asian, and North American), career stage (junior, mid-career, and well-established researchers), and the "local" team (MIT). We hope the discussions sparked during this symposium will encourage attendees to cross-pollinate tools and research directions to foster interdisciplinary research applied to the development of novel sensors to tackle the pressing societal challenges in the highlighted diseases and disorders.