MEMS, Nanotechnology, Microfluidics: MnM Apps in Cancer Eradication and Environment Protection

Professor Masoud Agah, The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech

Abstract: In this talk, I will review the research endeavors in BioMEMS/NEMS and MicroAnalyticalChemistry Thrusts at Virginia Tech MEMS Laboratory (VT MEMS).  The first part (BioMEMS/NEMS) will go over the use of 3D MEMS cavities, atomic force microscopy, and microfluidics for deciphering cancer cell biomechanical and bioelectrical properties.  We will demonstrate how biophysical properties can be used as a potential marker for cancer treatment assessment and for determining tumor-initiating cells. The second part (MicroAnalyticalChemsitry) will demonstrate the innovations and research accomplishments from nano-structured material processing and synthesis to the development of key components of micro gas chromatography instruments including including preconcentrator, microfluidic separation column, and gas detectors.  I will present self-assembly techniques combined with high-aspect-ratio MEMS processing to achieve high adsoption efficiency for preconcentrators and high separation efficiency for the columns.  I will discuss the invention of new GC columns, semi-packed, multicapillary, and width-modulated, and demonstrate the marriage of MEMS and nanotechnology to improve stationary phase coating for GCs.  I will also introduce the first microfabricated purge extractor for the analysis of organic compounds present in aqueous samples and demonstrate a fully integrated platform for in-field environmental monitoring.

Biography: Masoud Agah received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (SUT), Iran, in 1996 and 1998, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2005. From 1996 to 1999, he was a member of technical staff and then a project manager at Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, Iran, where his work was focused on industrial automation, robotics, and computer vision. In 1999. In 2000, he joined the NSF Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems (WIMS ERC), University of Michigan, where he developed MEMS-based gas chromatography columns for environmental monitoring applications. He was the recipient of the 2nd place DAC/ISSCC Student Design Contest Award at the 40th Design Automation Conference, 2003. He joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in August 2005, where he is currently an associate professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is also a core faculty member of Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences. He established the VT MEMS Laboratory in 2005 and has focused his research on environmental and biomedical applications of MEMS. Dr. Agah received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2008 for his research on micro gas chromatography, the Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering Outstanding New Assistant Professor Award in 2009, the Graduate School's Outstanding Dissertation Advisor Award in 2010, and the College of Engineering's Faculty Fellow Award in 2011. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), as well as its Electron Devices and its Solid-State Circuits Societies.