CBE Seminar (Zoom): How Worms Form Shape-Shifting Blobs and BBQ Lighters Could Help Save Lives For mRNA/DNA Vaccine Delivery

Non-UCI people, please use this registration link: https://forms.gle/yxbSNZtDAY3YTL8y9 

Abstract: In this talk I will share two stories. First, is about aquatic worms that braid, tangle and knot with their neighbors to form extraordinary living blobs - the stuff of science fiction. I will show how  these soft, squishy and 3D blobs rapidly morph their shape, crawl, float, climb, roll and weave topological tangles. I will share some unpublished early work on bioinspired tunable active matter and emergent robotics inspired by these fantastic living active polymers. Second, I will discuss a new frugal tool we have developed. By leveraging BBQ lighters and microneedles, we've created an ePatch to address some of the bottlenecks of nucleic acid vaccine delivery. I will share some of the challenges and opportunities for frugal science to address planetary scale challenges, from enabling synthetic biology at high schools to making live-saving biomedical hardware equitable, accessible and affordable for all.

Bio: Saad Bhamla studies biomechanics across species to engineer knowledge and tools that inspire curiosity. Bhamla is an assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at Georgia Tech. A self-proclaimed tinkerer, his lab is a trove of discoveries and inventions that span biology, physics and engineering. His current projects include studying the hydrodynamics of insect urine, worm blob locomotion and ultra-low-cost devices for global health. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Economist, CNN, Wired, NPR, the Wall Street Journal and more. Bhamla is a prolific inventor and his most notable inventions includes a 20-cent paper centrifuge, a 23-cent electroporator and the 96-cent hearing aid. Bhamla's work is recognised by numerous awards including a NIH R35 Outstanding Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, Innovation in MedTech Award and INDEX: Design to Improve Life Award. Bhamla is also a National Geographic Explorer and a TED speaker.

Host: Professor Alon Gorodetsky