Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Rapidly aging populations, escalating healthcare costs, and contamination of the environment and water by heavy metals, nutrients, hormones, pesticides and microplastics are among the most important problems faced by many countries worldwide. Despite global initiatives led by the United Nations, the majority of the global population cannot afford quality healthcare and suffers from environmental devastation. Solving these problems requires 1) efficient diagnosis of problems, e.g., monitoring of disease biomarkers and pollutants and 2) efficient methods for disease treatment and environmental remediation. DNA has excellent stability and is relatively easy to modify via chemical synthesis, which can overcome the inadequacies of proteins. Exploration of molecular recognition using DNA (DNA aptamers) started in 1990. Taking advantage of technology advancement over the past three decades such as DNA sequencing and computer science, Dr. Liu aims to gain quantitative control for the selection of DNA aptamers for environmentally and biomedically important targets by using a combination of molecular biology, machine learning and molecular dynamics simulation techniques. Dr. Liu’s research on aptamer-based biosensors and drug delivery will lead to a solid understanding of aptamers and innovative, practical, and cost-effective solutions for critical healthcare and environmental problems. With the support of the Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Biosensors and Bionanotechnology, Dr. Liu will be able to strategically expand his team to recruit needed expertise and establish new collaborations to enable a high-impact research trajectory towards wearable biosensors, ocular drug delivery systems, and diagnostic tools for diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.