Dual appointments in Biological Engineering and Medical Engineering
Research Group Manager: Natasha Shelby
Members of Ismagilov Group have backgrounds in chemistry, biology, engineering, medicine, and biophysics—creating a rich, interdisciplinary environment in which to solve real-world problems. Uniting the group's diverse interests is a commitment to improve global health, specifically via their work on the human microbiome and in vitro diagnostics.
Ismagilov Lab has pioneered the development of microfluidic technologies (including droplet-based microfluidics and SlipChip). Microfluidics enables ultrasensitive, quantitative biomarker measurements, and provides tools with which to control and understand the dynamics of complex chemical and biological networks. Such capabilities are poised to revolutionize medicine—enabling rapid point-of-care diagnoses under a variety of settings outside of centralized clinical laboratories. Currently, the group is applying these innovative technologies to develop rapid diagnostics of antimicrobial susceptibility. In the context of the human microbiome, the lab works to understand host-microbe interactions that may lead to new therapeutics. These technologies are also enabling new single-molecule measurements and single-cell analyses.