Adam T. Woolley – Research Interests 

      My group works at the interface between chemistry, engineering and biology. Thus, students receive broad technical training and are well poised to contribute in these key research fields. A common theme in my research is the interrelationship between biological molecules and miniaturization. We are utilizing miniaturization tools to detect and quantify clinically relevant biomolecules, and we are also applying biological molecules (in particular DNA) in forming nanoscale integrated circuits. Research is presently focused on three projects. 

      1. Low-cost polymer microfluidic systems for rapid clinical biomarker detection. The continued development of new tools and techniques that improve sensitivity, selectivity, speed and throughput in biological analysis, while reducing the cost per assay, will be critical in clinical diagnosis, medical research, and other disciplines in the life sciences. Micromachining methods have potential to enable the construction of low-cost, yet sophisticated microfluidic systems for the analysis of complex protein mixtures. We are integrating selective, antibody-based sample preparation methods with electrophoretic separation in surface-modified polymer microfluidic devices. These microsystems should facilitate the quantification of targeted cancer marker analytes in complex biological mixtures.  

      2. Biotemplated lithography and nanofabrication. We are participating in an interdisciplinary team whose objective is to explore bottom-up methods for the fabrication of nanoscale electronic circuitry. My group is focusing on developing ways to fold DNA into controlled nanoscale designs that can be converted into functional circuit elements through self-assembly and selective metallization. We have demonstrated the synthesis of low-background metal nanowires on DNA templates. We have also specifically immobilized carbon nanotubes onto aligned DNA molecules on surfaces, and have made and characterized novel three-branched, metallized DNA nanostructures. 

      3. Integrated microfluidic/microcantilever sensors for target proteins. The objective of this project is to develop a simultaneous, label-free, high sensitivity, rapid, small sample volume sensing method for multiple proteins based on arrays of microcantilevers in a single compact (~1 cm²) chip. Such devices offer the promise of a low-cost method to quantitatively determine the presence of molecular cancer markers in complex sample media such as blood serum. We are testing the hypothesis that a microcantilever array can be functionalized with different single-chain antibodies on separate microcantilevers (or sets of microcantilevers) and integrated with appropriate microfluidics to create a rapid biomarker detection system. 

Figure 1. Microchip layout. (A) Design schematic, reservoirs are: 1-rinse, 2-protein standard, 3-sample, 4-elute, 5-waste, 6-buffer, 7-inject waste, and 8-high voltage. The monolith location is indicated by the red line. (B) Photograph of a fabricated microchip. 

Figure 2. Nanoscale molecular circuit assembly and wiring. (A) A molecular circuit (MC) is formed in solution. (B) A surface is chemically patterned to direct MC assembly. (C) MCs are aligned and attached to the surface. (D) Electroless plating of the DNA and the local wiring patterns complete the circuit.

Figure 3. Schematic illustration of a single microcantilever sensor based on static deflection when target analyte interacts with the sensitizing layer.