Victor Perez-Luna
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
What if something smaller than a postage stamp could detect potentially deadly bacteria? Professor Victor Perez-Luna is working on a new type of biosensor that has as its core a sensing device that is a tiny fingerprint chip. Through proper surface modification with antibodies, this sensor has been adapted to detect bacteria and proteins with high specificity. This novel biosensor, also known as the IIT ChemArray, has the potential to detect a large variety of biological agents such as proteins, viruses and bacteria. When attached to a portable computer, this sensor could conduct a variety of biomedical assays for detection of bacteria and toxins in food and water, and point of care applications by emergency personnel and first respondent units.