We congratulate Dr. Yi Xiao, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, on her new NIH/R15 grant: “Aptamer-Based, Exonuclease-Amplified, Colorimetric, Onsite Screening of Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and Mephedrone in Oral Fluid.”
In addition to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Xiao is an affiliated member of the Biomolecular Sciences Institute. Her research interests lie in the areas of biosensors and biomaterials and their applications in solving a broad range of problems in vitro and in vivo. The goals of her research are directed towards employing new biomaterials, nanomaterials and new platforms to design ultra-sensitive sensors for specific in vitro or in vivo sensing in complex sample at the point-of-care. High specificity is achieved via biotechnology platforms – innovative selection technology (SELEX) are used to generate bio-functionalized elements capable of performing specific target recognition, and high sensitivity is obtained with subsequent biomolecular cascading, self-assembled amplifications. Such innovation will pave the way to bring highly sensitive sensors with great specificity into portable micro/nano-sized devices, which will impact the most pressing problems associated with analytical life sciences, including clinical diagnosis, drug abuse test, food safety and environmental pollution monitoring.
For more information on her research, click here.
