Hamilton Institute Seminar

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - 13:00 to 14:00
Hamilton Institute Seminar room (317), 3rd Floor Eolas Building, North Campus

Virtual participation: Zoom details available here

Speaker: Dr Guillaume Gines, ESPCI Paris

Title: "DNA circuits featuring droplet microfluidics for microRNA sensing"

Abstract: As the field of molecular diagnostics matures, the integration of multiple molecular clues becomes critical to profile and stratify complex diseases such as cancer. This requires multiplex assays capable of quantifying many markers simultaneously, with high sensitivity and specificity. Our research revolves around the design of DNA-based circuits, powered by enzymes, for the detection of biomarkers. I will present a programmable ultrasensitive molecular amplifier (PUMA), a DNA circuit originally design for the detection of microRNA cancer markers. The PUMA assay was then adapted to a digital format using droplet microfluidics, achieving absolute quantification from single-molecule detection. We recently took a step further, demonstrating multiplex and digital microRNA detection using a droplet-compartmentalized microparticle array. I will finally present our current attempts to adapt PUMA for the detection of other biomarkers, including proteins, enzymes, epigenetic modifications, and small metabolites.

Biography: Guillaume Gines obtained his PhD in chemistry and biology from the University of Grenoble in 2013. He then moved to the University of Tokyo as a postdoctoral fellow studying the collective behaviors in populations of DNA-programmed particles. In 2016, he joined the Gulliver laboratory at PSL-ESPCI Paris. Since 2020, he is a CNRS researcher whose research activities revolve around DNA nanotechnologies, biosensing and microfluidics.