911黑料 professor, students working toward rapid, affordable medical diagnostics
One 911黑料 professor is researching improved testing equipment for health care. We learn more about his motivation 鈥斅燼nd how students have helped the research progress.
What are the real-world applications of chemistry?
It鈥檚 the question that attracted 911黑料 Associate Professor Daniel Scott to the subject, and it鈥檚 a question that he has helped answer as a professor and as a researcher.
Scott and a team of students have worked on point-of-care diagnostics that could lower barriers to health care for patients from low-income areas and have many more real-world applications through accurate, affordable medical testing.
Point-of-care diagnostics are medical tests done at home, in the field, or at the doctor鈥檚 office with near-immediate results. Think rapid COVID tests, but expanded to identify other health concerns.
The research has been what Scott described as a perfect example of the liberal arts and sciences in general 鈥 he has folded in majors from chemistry, chemical physics, biochemistry and molecular biology, while working with engineering minors as well.
鈥淭his research has brought in a lot of different disciplines together for a common purpose,鈥 he said.
This work ties into the reason Scott loves science: He wants to help people. As a professor, he has seen students learn and grow as scientists. And, as a researcher, he is hoping to break barriers to fast, accurate diagnostic testing.
鈥淪o far, we鈥檝e had promising results with a cancer biomarker, a tuberculosis biomarker and a protein biomarker that signals inflammation,鈥 Scott said 鈥 meaning the tests can identify those health problems right in the doctor鈥檚 office. 鈥淔inding those things early really improves outcomes and treatment plans 鈥 particularly for rural doctor offices or pop-up clinics, things like that.鈥
It could also help doctors provide treatment to patients they may not see often. Waiting on lab results could take days, but a test that takes only minutes could allow patients to leave the doctor鈥檚 office with a treatment plan in place. And the tests are inexpensive 鈥 Scott said the current cost of tests is less than a dollar.
The process has been rewarding, Scott said, for both him and the students: 鈥淪ome of my inspiration is working with students and seeing them progress as scientists, seeing what it鈥檚 like to actually 鈥榙o science,鈥 the collaborative nature of it and how the different pieces work together 颅鈥 that helps break down barriers,鈥 he said. 鈥淪tudents can put things in silos and say 鈥業 learned this in my biochemistry and molecular biology class, my chemistry class, my business class.鈥 But all of these things can work together, and research takes multiple people with different expertise.鈥
He started this research without much knowledge of the paper-based microfluidics that would be the foundation for these tests, but his work with nanoparticles helped pave the way to more understanding and research opportunity.
Scott had published research previously on , which allows for a controlled release of the drugs when they reach cancerous cells in the body.
鈥淭he focus of that project was to hone 鈥榯he delivery of cancer drugs鈥 in on tumor regions, not to the entire system that some chemotherapies take,鈥 Scott said. 鈥淲e showed that we could load cancer drugs into a nanoparticle and selectively release them.鈥
That helped lay the groundwork for Scott鈥檚 upcoming publication on the point-of-care diagnostics. It鈥檚 a project that began before the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of rapid testing and diagnosis, which only accelerated the research for Scott.
鈥淲e wrapped up the drug delivery research and shifted gears during COVID, we saw a quick path to meeting this need,鈥 Scott said.
Scott said it helps to have current, real-world application with what students are doing in class, which is what the paper-based microfluidics have provided (thanks in part to a grant from the National Science Foundation). Students can 鈥済et comfortable with failure鈥 in the lab, making baby steps toward the goal of contributing to research.
鈥淚鈥檇 encourage students to ask their professors, get involved with research early. All the students that are on the papers were working with me for multiple years,鈥 Scott said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where you gain experience and expertise 鈥 if you鈥檙e interested or excited about a topic, see what research opportunities are available on campus.鈥
Student research team:
On the paper linked in article:
Daniel Low 鈥22 (biochemistry and molecular biology major)
Gracie Fitzgerald 鈥21 (chemical physics)
Cole Hilt 鈥21 (chemistry)
Luc Morgan (chemistry, class of 2024)
Micai Benford 鈥20 (chemical physics)
Other students who have or are currently researching with Scott:
Maddie Jenkin '22 (biochemistry and molecular biology)
Marielena Villaran '22 (chemistry)
Lilly Zehnder (biology, class of 2025)
Tenley Soergel (religion, class of 2025)
Erika Alonso (chemistry, class of 2025)
Geovanna de Andrade (chemistry, class of 2025)
Ashton Whitt (physics, class of 2024)
