Micro- and Nanoscale Bioengineering Lab

The Micro- and Nanoscale Bioengineering Lab at NYU Abu Dhabi is an interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and students combining microfluidics, bioengineering, and advanced imaging to build tools for studying biological systems and addressing challenges in diagnostics and biomedical device design.

Research Areas

Microfluidic Diagnostics

We develop microfluidic platforms that concentrate biological targets and accelerate their detection. One example combines ion concentration polarization with CRISPR-Cas13 for rapid, amplification-free detection of short RNA sequences.

3D Cell Culture, Spheroids, and Organoids

We use tools developed in our lab to culture cells in three dimensions and generate spheroids and organoids. These models let us investigate fundamental biological questions in environments that better capture cell organization and interactions. We also design modular microfluidic devices for culturing spheroids under continuous perfusion and use optical coherence tomography for noninvasive, 3D assessment during culture.

Bioinspired Biomedical Adhesives and Translational Medical Devices

Inspired by the way lizards detach their tails, we study how biological structures balance strong attachment with controlled release. We aim to translate these principles into switchable adhesive patches for biomedical devices. More broadly, our bioinspired research explores how ideas from nature can inform the design of translational medical devices.