FZU COLLOQUIUM: Molecular Engineering of Interfaces in Microanalytical Systems for Patient and Allograft Stratification

The ongoing research at the Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors, and Biochips (C3B®) will be highlighted, aiming to achieve the following: i) Develop multifunctional, bioactive, and electroconductive hydrogels facilitating control over the ABIO-BIO interface of implantable microsystems^1,2. ii) Create a penta-analyte biosensor, the PSM BioChip™, designed for monitoring key biomarkers of physiological stress during hemorrhagic trauma and vascular allograft transplant monitoring, allowing for stratification/segmentation^3,4. iii) Design a dual-function 24-well Electrical Cell Stimulation And Recording Apparatus (ECSARA™) for the simultaneous electrical stimulation and bioimpedance monitoring of cells in culture. This apparatus incorporates multiplexed multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (MMBIS) to monitor and model transmembrane epithelial/endothelial cell resistance (TEER) and gene expression^5,6. In each case, molecular engineering of the solid-to-soft interface improves adhesion, analytical reproducibility, and functional device performance. These examples serve to showcase how convergence in research, particularly at C3B®, leads to the development of innovative solutions with applications in healthcare, biotechnology, and related fields. The collaborative efforts of researchers from diverse disciplines contribute to a more comprehensive and impactful approach to addressing complex challenges⁷.

Biographic profile:
Sc.D. Anthony Guiseppi-Elie is an international medical sciences, engineering, and innovation consultant at the American International Institute of Medical Sciences, Engineering and Innovation, an academic consultancy and think tank focused on convergence in education. He was most recently vice president of academic affairs and the chief academic officer at Tri-County Technical College. He has 15 years of experience in industrial research and product development, including at large and startup companies, and 18 years of experience as a tenured, titled, and endowed full professor at universities that include Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Clemson University (Clemson), Texas A&M University (TAMU), and Anderson University (AU). At VCU, he was a full professor of Chemical and Life Sciences Engineering, professor of Emergency Medicine, and served as center director for a first-of-its-type DoD, state and stakeholder funded transdisciplinary center focused on DNA and protein biochips, and biosensors. At Clemson he was the Dow Chemical Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, professor of Bioengineering, and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and served as center director where he developed a transdisciplinary biosensors, bioelectronics, and nano-biotechnology curriculum. At TAMU he held the TEES Research Professorship in Engineering, was head of biomedical engineering, and served as the founding associate dean of engineering innovation in the college of engineering where he co-founded the Engineering-Medicine Program. At AU he was university distinguished professor, vice president of industry relations, and founding dean of the college of engineering where he implemented a unique, industry-supported, convergent liberal-arts engineering curriculum with strong com unity and stakeholder engagement. He has been associated with three startup companies and is Founder, President, and Scientific Director of ABTECH Scientific, Inc. A US citizen who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, he holds the Sc.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, the M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester (UMIST), and the B.Sc. (First Class Honors) in Applied, Analytical, and Biochemistry from the University of the West Indies (UWI). He has published over 225 peer-reviewed journal articles, holds 8 patents, and is a fellow of IEEE, AIMBE, BMES and the RSC. His research interests are in physiological status monitoring during hemorrhagic trauma and allotransplantation, polymeric nanobiomaterials in drug delivery and tissue regeneration, and fully integrated microanalytical systems in the service of human health and medicine. (02.2024 | h-index=50 | >9,527 citations).

References:
1 Aggas, J. R., Abasi, S., Phipps, J. F., Podstawczyk, D. A. & Guiseppi-Elie, A. Microfabricated and 3-D printed electroconductive hydrogels of PEDOT:PSS and their application in bioelectronics. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 168, 112568, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112568 (2020).
2 Aggas, J. R., Sánchez-Sinencio, E. & Guiseppi-Elie, A. Wien Oscillator Using Organic Enzyme-Chemiresistors for Fused Measurement of Glucose and Lactate. Advanced Intelligent Systems 2, 2000004, doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202000004 (2020).
3 Bhat, A. et al. Toward a hemorrhagic trauma severity score: fusing five physiological biomarkers. Journal of Translational Medicine 18, 348, doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02516-4 (2020).
4 Aggas, J. R. et al. Real-Time Monitoring Using Multiplexed Multi-Electrode Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy for the Stratification of Vascularized Composite Allografts: A Perspective on Predictive Analytics. Bioengineering 10, 434 (2023).
5 Abasi, S., Aggas, J. R., Venkatesh, N., Vallavanatt, I. G. & Guiseppi-Elie, A. Design, fabrication and testing of an electrical cell stimulation and recording apparatus (ECSARA) for cells in electroculture. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 147, 111793, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2019.111793 (2020).
6 Abasi, S., Jain, A., Cooke, J. P. & Guiseppi-Elie, A. Electrically stimulated gene expression under exogenously applied electric fields. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 10, doi:10.3389/fmolb.2023.1161191 (2023).
7 Aggas, J. R. et al. On the intersection of molecular bioelectronics and biosensors: 20 Years of C3B. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 176, 112889, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112889 (2021).