The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) has four main thematic research areas; Smart and Function Materials, Connected Devices, Next Generation Energy Systems and Therapeutics and Theranostics. To showcase the work going on within these areas, we will be holding monthly WIN Thematic Seminars featuring our members and their research group members.
For this event in the series, Professor Juewen Liu and postdoc Kaya Wong from the Therapeutics and Theranostics theme will be giving a seminar on "Selection of DNA Aptamers for Sensing and Drug Delivery Applications".
Registration is required. If you have any questions or issues registering, please contact win-office@uwaterloo.ca
Selection of DNA Aptamers for Sensing and Drug Delivery Applications
DNA aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that can selectively bind to target molecules. This talk has two parts. In the first part, general aptamer selection methods and some new aptamers for small molecules including theophylline, uric acid, estradiol and lactate will be presented. These molecules have important therapeutic and biological functions and the aptamers can be made to biosensors for their detection. In the second part, aptamers for ocular drug delivery are discussed. Cornea is the major barrier to drug delivery to eye, which results in low bioavailability and poor efficacy of topical eye treatment. We selected cornea-targeting aptamers using tissue-SELEX on pig cornea. The efficacy of cyclosporine A (CsA)-loaded aptamer liposomes in human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) with dry eye conditions was compared to the non-aptamer liposomes. Such aptamers can serve as a general ligand for ocular drug delivery.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Juewen Liu,joined the University of Waterloo in 2009 and is currently a professor of chemistry. He is interested in aptamers and biosensors. He received a Fred Beamish Award (2014) and a McBryde Medal (2018) from the Canadian Society for Chemistry for his contribution in bioanalytical chemistry. He is a College member of the Royal Society of Canada. He serves as a Section Editor for Biosensors & Bioelectronics, and a Contributing Editor for TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. He has published over 500 papers, receiving over 42,000 citations with an H-index of 100, and is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2022 and 2023.
Dr. Ka-Ying Wong, Kaya, is a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Juewen Liu’s lab within the Department of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, and a co-founder of EyesoBio Inc. Dr. Wong received her Ph.D. in Applied Biology and Chemical Technology from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Eye and Vision Research. Dr. Wong's primary research focus involves ocular drug discovery and delivery through the application of nanotechnology and fluidic systems.