Single-cell analysis and manipulation

Nader Pourmand, Ph. D.

Associate Professor of Biomolecular Engineering,

UC Santa Cruz

Forensic Science Seminar Series

ABSTRACT

Approaching sub-cellular biological problems from an engineering perspective begs for the incorporation of electronic readouts. With their high sensitivity and low invasiveness, nanotechnology-based tools hold great promise for biochemical sensing and single-cell manipulation. During my talk I will discuss the incorporation of electrical measurements into nanopipette technology and present results showing the rapid and reversible response of these subcellular sensors to different analytes such as antigens, ions and carbohydrates. In addition, I will present the development of a single-cell manipulation platform that uses a nanopipette in a scanning ion-conductive microscopy technique. We use this newly developed technology to position the nanopipette with nanoscale precision, and to inject and/or aspirate a minute amount of cytoplasmic material to and from individual cells without comprising cell viability. Furthermore, if time permits, I will show our strategy for a new, single-cell DNA/ RNA sequencing technology that will potentially use nanopipette technology to analyze the minute amount of aspirated cellular material.

BIO

Dr. Pourmand received his MS and PhD from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1997 and 1999 respectively, in Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology. He has worked on Pyrosequencing and its early applications. He joined the Stanford Genome Technology Center in 1999 as a post-doctoral fellow working with Ronald Davis to develop new technologies, during which time he co-developed MagArray technology and developed charge-based DNA sequencing, which is the underlying technology for the Ion Torrent system.

Dr.  Pourmand cofounded Xagros Genomics in 2001, MagArray Inc. in 2005 and Arvida Laboratories in 2011.  In 2008 he joined UC Santa Cruz as a faculty member, and with his team he has been developing innovative tools that enable sweeping advances in knowledge. Such advances are apparent through the application of newly developed technologies, such as Nanopipette technology. His choice of which new technologies to develop is driven by questions that cannot be answered with existing tools; conversely, new tools of interest to Dr. Pourmand invariably enable additional questions to be asked. Now, he plans to seize the many opportunities in Bioengineering and Medicine to develop and apply new technologies to broaden and support new biomedical research.

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