Biomedical Engineering Seminar with Dr. Runjhun Narayan
Dr. Runjhun Saran Narayan is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia, and the Founder & CEO of MOLwise Bioscience Inc., a BioAI Tech Venture.
Her research integrates Bio-Nanotechnology, DNA Biosensors, and Applied Artificial Intelligence to advance Healthcare and Environmental Sustainability. She has published widely and brings strong experience in industry-academia collaborations. Dr. Narayan is especially passionate about interacting with and mentoring students. She is dedicated to fostering inclusive & interdisciplinary learning environments where the next generation of scientists and innovators are inspired to explore, innovate, and lead.
Abstract
The development of rapid, reliable, and deployable biosensing technologies remains a critical need in environmental sustainability, agriculture, and healthcare. Functional nucleic acids, including DNA aptamers and DNAzymes, offer highly stable and programmable platforms for molecular recognition, signal generation, and target-specific detection. However, their discovery often remains time-intensive, target-dependent, and experimentally demanding, limiting the pace at which new sensing technologies can be developed and translated into real-world use. In this talk, I will present our data-driven research pipeline for the discovery of novel functional nucleic acids, with a focus on how computational and experimental strategies can be combined to guide library design, sequence selection, and candidate prioritization. I will further discuss how these biomolecular tools can be translated into point-of-need biosensors for real-world applications, including environmental monitoring, sustainable agriculture, and healthcare diagnostics. Together, this work highlights the potential of data-driven biomolecular discovery to accelerate the development of accessible, portable, and field-ready sensing technologies for addressing urgent challenges in human health and environmental resilience.
BME Grad Students: you are required to attend an average of four seminars per term as part of your degree requirements.