Spotlight

The Melvin Research Group

The Melvin Research Group aims to develop new tools and technologies to quantify and characterize complex biological systems. We take an interdisciplinary approach combining elements chemical and biomedical engineering with chemical biology, biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, and cancer biology.

Current research areas include point of care diagnostics, biochemical analysis of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), alternative materials for microfluidic devices, and single cell and population-based studies of algal growth and migration.

Khashayar "Khashi" Ramezani Bajgiran (far left)

Research Focus: Luminescent nanoparticles for multiplex droplet tracking

I am working on developing a drug screening platform for cancer treatment using a droplet microfluidic chip and luminescent nanoparticles. This platform allows for simultaneous tracking of droplets from different inlet sources by using rare earth doped nanoparticles. By co-encapsulating single cells and nanoparticles, cancer cell response to different doses of drugs (or different types drugs) can be screened after the droplets were trapped inside a trapping array.