Many important biological functions rely on the transfer of electrons between enzymes, chemicals and proteins. Despite much work during the past fifty years aimed at understanding electron transfer in biomolecules, molecules that make up living things, the fundamental mechanisms responsible for electron transfer are not understood completely.
Hosted by the West Virginia University Department of Physics, the 2013 Bioelectronics and Biosensing Symposium will take place on April 7-8 at The Erickson Alumni Center.
Bioelectronics combines engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology to develop electronic devices with unique properties. Understanding biomolecular electron transfer at its most fundamental level involves determining electronic structure and electron transfer properties.
This three-part symposium includes invited speaker sessions and student presentations on Sunday April 7 at 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-5:30 p.m. and Monday April 8 at 8 a.m.-12 p.m., a student poster session on Sunday from 6:30 – 8 p.m. and social activities to promote collaborations.
“This brings leading researchers in bioelectrics and biosensors from around the world to West Virginia,” said Fred King, Ph.D., the University’s vice president for research. “We anticipate that this will lead to increased collaborations for our faculty and new opportunities for economic development based on these technologies.”
The symposium will focus on efforts to understand the fundamental electronic properties of biomolecules and exploit them in novel device architectures. It is designed to foster discussions among experts in the field that may lead to a better understanding of biomolecular properties and to new technological advances in biosensing and electronic devices.
“Applications being developed at WVU are rapid DNA analysis, detecting toxins in the environment, studying how cells respond to various materials,” said Aniketa Shinde, adjunct assistant professor of physics and education coordinator at NanoSAFE. “A common application of a biosensor currently on the market is a home blood glucose detector for diabetes patients. Most biosensing applications are medical, environmental or used in the food industry.”
Experts in the field will give invited talks and other researchers will have the opportunity to give short talks and present posters. There will also be social opportunities for informal discussions so that participants can establish collaborations and interactions in this burgeoning interdisciplinary field.
For more information, contact David Lederman, at 304-293-5136 or David.Lederman@mail.wvu.edu or Aniketa Shinde at 304-293-7382 or Aniketa.Shinde@mail.wvu.edu
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