{"691934":{"#nid":"691934","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Proposal by Karly Liebendorfer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKarly Liebendorfer\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBioE PhD Proposal\u0026nbsp;Presentation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETuesday, September 8th, 2026, at 2:00 pm\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELocation: EBB 5029\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdvisor:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Mark Styczynski, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee Members:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. John Blazeck, School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Julie Champion, School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Brian Hammer, School of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Tara Deans, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEngineering Cell-Free Biosensors for Membrane Protein Detection at the Point of Care\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMembrane proteins regulate essential cellular processes and serve as valuable biomarkers for disease diagnosis, progression, and therapeutic response. However, quantitative measurement of membrane-associated biomarkers remains largely dependent on techniques such as flow cytometry, microscopy, and extraction-based protein analysis, limiting their use outside specialized laboratories. Point-of-care biosensors offer a promising alternative because they are programmable, inexpensive, and compatible with decentralized testing, yet existing platforms have primarily focused on soluble analytes and have not been adapted for membrane protein detection. The T7 RNA Polymerase-Linked ImmunoSensing Assay (TLISA) is a cell-free analyte sensing platform that converts target recognition into a transcriptionally amplified output, providing a promising foundation for addressing this unmet need. Thus, the work proposed for this thesis will focus on expanding TLISA into a quantitative platform for membrane protein detection to support point-of-care applications in low resource environments such as human space travel. To achieve this, I will first identify and address mechanistic limitations in the current assay design to improve signal fidelity, analytical sensitivity, and limit of detection. In parallel, I will develop a proof-of-concept system for membrane protein detection by displaying model proteins on the Escherichia coli cell surface and evaluating their detection and quantification using TLISA. The optimized platform will then be applied to the epidermal growth factor receptor, a disease-associated membrane biomarker, and evaluated in biologically complex matrices. Together, my work will establish the feasibility of TLISA-based membrane protein quantification and support the development of accessible point-of-care diagnostics for clinically relevant membrane proteins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEngineering Cell-Free Biosensors for Membrane Protein Detection at the Point of Care\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Engineering Cell-Free Biosensors for Membrane Protein Detection at the Point of Care"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-08-25 12:32:54","changed_gmt":"2026-08-25 12:33:45","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-09-08T14:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-09-08T16:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-09-08T16:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-09-08 18:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-09-08 20:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-09-08 20:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"102851","name":"Phd proposal"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}