Gloria Presents on ‘Today I Learned’

Science communication and outreach are vital for welcoming the next generation of scientists. In early February, our 5th-year graduate student, Gloria Diaz, expanded her science outreach platform by appearing on the “Today I Learned” twitch stream. “Today I Learned” is a weekly show affiliated with CBS’s “Mission Unstoppable”, on which Miranda Cosgrove profiles females in STEM. In Gloria’s “Today I Learned” segment, she talked about her research using microfluidic devices, discussed how she has grown as a researcher, and highlighted how she has worked to overcome challenges as a graduate student. Her at-home science demonstrations were very appropriately Valentines’ Day themed! Gloria walked the show’s host and the online viewers through making gelatin bioplastic hearts and borax crystal XO’s. The rest of us in the Bailey Lab were thrilled to watch Gloria’s debut and loved to see how she expanded the field of microfluidic research to a general audience!

Watch the recording of Gloria’s “Today I Learned” segment here!

Read Krista and Ryan's contributions to a primer article on WGM sensing!

Brush up on your WGM knowledge by reading the latest Nature Reviews Methods Primer: Whispering-gallery-mode sensors for biological and physical sensing. Congrats to Krista and Ryan for their contribution!

Abstract

The term whispering gallery mode (WGM) was first introduced to describe the curvilinear propagation of sound waves under a cathedral dome. The physical concept has now been generalized to include light waves that are continuously reflected along the closed concave surface of an optical cavity such as a glass microsphere. The circular path of the internally reflected light results in constructive interference and optical resonance, a morphology-dependent resonance that is suitable for interferometric sensing. WGM resonators are miniature micro-interferometers that use the multiple-cavity passes of light for very sensitive measurements at the microscale and nanoscale, including single-molecule and ion measurements. This Primer introduces various WGM sensors based on glass microspheres, microtoroids, microcapillaries and silicon microrings. We describe the sensing mechanisms, including mode splitting and resonance shift, exceptional-point-enhanced sensing and optomechanical and optoplasmonic signal transductions. Applications and experimental results cover in vivo and single-molecule sensing, gyroscopes and microcavity quantum electrodynamics. We also discuss data analysis methods and the limitations of WGM techniques. Finally, we provide an outlook for molecule, in vivo and quantum sensing.

Find the paper here and the accompanying PrimeView here!

Marina presents at ASMS!

The 69th American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics was held last week and our very own 4th-year graduate student, Marina, was in attendance. Held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this conference brings together scientists to share their original work on the advancement of mass spectrometry techniques, instrumentation, and fundamental work in chemistry, biology, geology, forensics, and physics. Marina presented a poster on her recent work, “Characterization of Multi-Lipid Nanodisc Composition by LC-MS/MS”, which is in collaboration with former Bailey Lab undergraduate researcher and current UM graduate student, Josh Jones. Marina had fruitful conversations with both professors and graduate students, attended many research talks, and even enjoyed exploring the rival city of her alma mater (University of Pittsburgh). Pictured below are Marina and Josh next to the original electrospray ionization instrument from the Fenn lab at the Science History Institute!

 
 

Nico presents at MicroTAS 2021

This past week, Nico (the Bailey Lab’s 5th-year mechanical engineering graduate student) presented his work at the 25th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (microTAS 2021) in Palm Springs, California. The microTAS conferences are a platform for scientists to report recent advances in microfluidics, microfabrication, nanotechnology, and detection technologies, among other topics, in life science and chemistry. Nico was able to hear cutting-edge research talks, network with other scientists, and present his work: “A droplet-based phase grating for refractometry and viscometry” in the “Sensors and Detection Technologies” poster session. The return to in-person conferences also allowed Nico to explore a new area, something which we have all enjoyed viewing through his many photos of the desert landscape!

Check out the latest Bailey Lab publication by Dr. Heather Robison and Dr. Cole Chapman in Scientific Reports!

Risk assessment of latent tuberculosis infection through a multiplexed cytokine biosensor assay and machine learning feature selection

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Abstract

Accurate detection and risk stratification of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) remains a major clinical and public health problem. We hypothesize that multiparameter strategies that probe immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis can provide new diagnostic insights into not only the status of LTBI infection, but also the risk of reactivation. After the initial proof-of-concept study, we developed a 13-plex immunoassay panel to profile cytokine release from peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated separately with Mtb-relevant and non-specific antigens to identify putative biomarker signatures. We sequentially enrolled 65 subjects with various risk of TB exposure, including 32 subjects with diagnosis of LTBI. Random Forest feature selection and statistical data reduction methods were applied to determine cytokine levels across different normalized stimulation conditions. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis for full and reduced feature sets revealed differences in biomarkers signatures for LTBI status and reactivation risk designations. The reduced set for increased risk included IP-10, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-15, IL-17, CCL3, and CCL8 under varying normalized stimulation conditions. ROC curves determined predictive accuracies of > 80% for both LTBI diagnosis and increased risk designations. Our study findings suggest that a multiparameter diagnostic approach to detect normalized cytokine biomarker signatures might improve risk stratification in LTBI.

Read the full paper here!

Congratulations to our alumni, Heather and Cole, and our collaborators, on the hard work and combined efforts that culminated in this publication!

2021 Karle Symposium Recap

Krista, Claire, Gloria and Marina showing off the 2021 Karle symposium t-shirts!

Krista, Claire, Gloria and Marina showing off the 2021 Karle symposium t-shirts!

The 2021 Karle Symposium was held virtually on July 30th. The Karle symposium is a yearly event named for Isabella and Jerome Karle, distinguished graduates of our department, who worked together to advance X-ray crystallography methods.  The day was filled with student talks, poster sessions, a PPG plenary lecture, and a keynote lecture. This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Stuart Conway from Oxford University who presented: “Chemical Epigenetics: Chemical Approaches to Understanding the Function of Epigenetic Machinery in Disease”. This annual symposium is a great opportunity to hear about the ongoing research within the chemistry department.

The Bailey lab was represented in the analytical poster sessions by rising fourth year, Marina Sarcinella, and rising third year, Krista Meserve. Marina presented: “Characterization of Multi-Lipid Nanodisc Composition by LC-MS/MS”, while Krista presented: “Using a multiplexed biosensor immunoassay for basal neonate immune system characterization”. Both Marina and Krista received poster presentation travel awards for their work. Congrats!

In addition, the Bailey Lab was represented in the Karle organizing committee. Rising fifth year, Gloria Diaz, served as a co-chair of the symposium and Marina was a part of the organizing team. Congratulations to Gloria for chairing a successful event!

Publication Alert! Check out Shannon's recent paper in Analyst!

Characterization of the Impact of Mixing and Droplet Volumes on the Behavior of Microfluidic Ion-Selective Droptodes

Abstract

Droplet microfluidic optodes, or “droptodes”, have emerged as a powerful technology for rapid detection of small ions in complex matrices. While using segmented aqueous phases provides the benefits of sample isolation, the influence of the liquid nature of the oil carrier phase has not yet been explored. In this paper, we examine the influence of microfluidic parameters on droptode efficiency, using potassium-sensitive droptodes as a model system. We found that while changing flow rates on device does not change droptode performance, both channel geometry and droplet size significantly impact droptode efficiency. Specifically, enhanced mixing of the droplets leads to faster equilibration on device and lowers limits of detection by about one order of magnitude. We also found that increasing the size of the sample droplet, at the expense of the size of the oil carrier/sensing phase, leads to higher sensitivity in the linear region of the droptode. These easily manipulated properties will allow one device to potentially be adapted for several different applications, based upon the type and concentration range of measurement required.

Congrats to Dr. Shannon!

Read the full paper here!