Bioengineering to create precision technologies and address Grand challenges in global health
Abstract: Our research seeks to transform diagnostic medicine by developing faster, more accurate, and accessible tools that enhance patient care and outcomes, particularly in the fields of infectious diseases, cancer, and personalized medicine. We are focused on integrating biology and engineering to create precision technologies that enable timely, targeted diagnoses and address Grand challenges in global health.
We believe that nano-, micro-, and macro-scale technologies, including molecular and serological detection assays, as well as advanced fabrication methods, offer immense potential for solving critical problems in biology and medicine. These innovations have broad applications in clinical diagnostics, especially in resource-limited settings with restricted access to hospitals or specialized laboratories.
Specifically, our work leverages microfluidics and nanotechnology to develop highly sensitive, rapid, and multiplexed point-of-care diagnostic tools for detecting disease markers such as cells, proteins, and nucleic acids.
In this presentation we will discuss the implications of these technologies for the advancement of personalized medicine for infectious diseases, sepsis, and cancer.
Biography: Enrique Valera is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.