"Skin-Interfaced Wearable Biosensors"
Prof. Wei Gao
Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology
Abstract: The rising research interest in personalized medicine promises to revolutionize traditional medical practices. This presents a tremendous opportunity for developing wearable devices toward predictive analytics and treatment. In this talk, I will introduce our efforts in developing wearable biosensors for non-invasive molecular analysis. Such wearables can autonomously access body fluids (e.g., human sweat) across the activities and continuously measure a broad spectrum of analytes including metabolites, nutrients, hormones, proteins, and drugs. Laser engraving and inkjet printing are used to manufacture high-performance nanomaterials-based biosensors at large scale and low cost. The clinical value of our wearable systems is evaluated through various human trials toward precision nutrition, stress/mental health assessment, chronic disease management, and drug personalization. I will also discuss our research progress on energy harvesting from the human body and the environment to realize battery-free wireless wearable sensing. These wearable technologies could open the door to a wide range of personalized monitoring, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.
Biography: Wei Gao is an Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering, Ronald and JoAnne Willens Scholar, and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator at the California Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at University of California, San Diego in 2014. In 2014-2017, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an Associate Editor of Science Advances, npj Flexible Electronics, and Sensors & Diagnostics. He is a recipient of NSF Career Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, IAMBE Early Career Award, Sloan Research Fellowship, Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award, IEEE EMBS Early Career Achievement Award, IEEE Sensor Council Technical Achievement Award, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35, ACS DIC Young Investigator Award, and Materials Today Rising Star Award. He is a World Economic Forum Young Scientist, a member of Global Young Academy, and a Highly Cited Researcher (Web of Science). His research interests include wearable sensors, bioelectronics, flexible electronics, and micro/nanorobotics.
For more information about Gao’s research, visit www.gao.caltech.edu.