Nicotine Biosensor

My projects involve computational design of antibody-drug conjugates and protein-based biosensors. On the therapeutic side, I am leveraging the lab’s complementarity-determining-region-extended antibody (CDRxAb) workflow to breathe new life into small molecule drugs that have failed clinical trials or become obsolete. Therapeutic areas that I am investigating for applications include hypercholesterolemia and multi drug-resistant infections. In my biosensor work, I am collaborating with Profs. Henry Lester and Wei Gao to improve the sensitivity of protein-based biosensors to enable real-time, non-invasive monitoring of nicotine in smokers. This research vision would enable the development of personal pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of nicotine for smokers. Since nicotine metabolism varies widely among the population, personal PK profiles are crucial for the development of nicotine-replacement strategies to promote smoking cessation.