Yi Zhang, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Collins Professor in Engineering Innovation at the University of Connecticut 

"Implantable Biosensors and Microfluidics to Unlock Brain Chemistry"

Abstract:

The human central nervous system contains billions of neurons that communicate through the propagation of action potentials along the axonal membrane and the release, transport, and metabolism of neurochemicals at synapses. Technologies for in vivo electrophysiology have been intensively studied, with recent examples of Neuropixels and Neural Matrix capable of recording over several thousand channels. In contrast to these advances in electrophysiological recordings, technologies for real-time neurochemical monitoring remain very limited. Neurochemicals, however, have been found to play critical roles in reward signaling, learning, motor control, and the treatment of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. In this presentation, I will present our recent developments in implantable biosensors and microfluidics to unlock brain chemistry. These include implantable aptamer-based biosensors for real-time neurochemical monitoring, as well as implantable microfluidic devices for membrane-free neurochemical sampling with high recovery rates in freely moving animals. Together, these implantable biosensors and microfluidics create opportunities for neuroscientists to understand where, when, and how the release of neurochemicals modulates diverse behavioral outputs of the brain.

Bio:

Dr. Yi Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Collins Professor in Engineering Innovation at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Storrs. He also serves as a core faculty member of the Institute of Materials Science and the Center for Addiction Sciences and Innovation (CASI). Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2016 under the supervision of Professors Sven H. Behrens and Carson Meredith.  His doctoral research was recognized with the Waldemar T. Ziegler Award for Best Research Paper and the Exemplary Academic Achievement Award. He completed his postdoctoral training in Professor John A. Rogers' group at Northwestern University. His current research program focuses on next-generation neurotechnology development and has been recognized with an NSF CAREER Award, the Biomedical Engineering Society Career Development Award, the NIH Brain Initiative R01 award, the UConn-AAUP Research Excellence Award (Early Career), the Director’s Award for Faculty Excellence from the Polymer Program at UConn, and the UConn BME Early Career Faculty Scholar Award. For more information, please visit: https://zhangyigroup.com/.