I take an experimental approach to innovate solutions and seek answers to the fundamental questions related to human health and the environment. The broad vision of my research is to gain a deeper understanding of redox processes, develop devices that generate redox species, and probe biological processes using redox methods for monitoring human health and the environment. Toward this end, I focus on three distinct research directions:
Electrochemical sensors for physiological and environmental monitoring
Electrochemical biosensors use electroanalytical (or redox) tools to probe specific biomolecules in multi-analyte systems. Application of electrochemical sensors includes clinical and medical diagnostics, environmental and health monitoring, and food industries. These sensors allow miniaturization, fast read-out, online monitoring, and simultaneous sensing capabilities. This research effort will investigate the modification of biosensor surfaces to impart anti-biofouling properties and smart integration of nanomaterials to improve selectivity and sensitivity of electrochemical sensors.
Cold plasma-based therapies and inactivation of pathogens
Cold plasma, the fourth
state of matter, refers to partially ionized gas consisting of charged species,
excited atoms and molecules, and high-energy photons. The ions and uncharged
molecules are at significantly lower temperatures than the electrons, resulting
in the plasma staying at a low temperature. The novelty of this technology lies
in its non-thermal, economical, versatile, and environmentally friendly nature.
The reactive species produced during plasma produce oxidative stresses on
biological moieties. The plasma medicine field explores the application of cold
plasma for therapeutic purposes. My research aims to understand the specific
redox processes occurring in biological systems when exposed to cold plasma and
tune the exposure to achieve therapeutic outcomes. Also, various studies have
shown the efficacy of cold plasma against Gram-negative and Gram-positive
bacteria, yeast, fungi, spores, biofilms, and viruses. I develop cold
plasma-generating devices that can inactivate pathogens on surfaces and in air
or liquids.
Natural polymer-based bioelectronics
Natural polymers are biocompatible, biodegradable, bio-conformable, and sustainable. They also provide biorecognition, self-repair, and stimuli response, which are beneficial for the systems that interact with biology and ecology.
Bioelectronics employs the principles of electronics to monitor and stimulate biological activities. The prime requirement for bioelectronic systems is biocompatibility. Therefore, natural polymers are material for choice for integration of electronics for biological applications. My research involves developing natural polymer-based functional materials and hybrid microfabrication processes to create biocompatible and biodegradable electronics.
