MSE 298 Seminar: New Sensing and Measurement Techniques Based on Fluorescent Nanomaterials and 3D Tracking Microscopes

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Abstract: Yeh's research is focused on developing new fluorescence techniques that can be used to study complex biological systems and quantify specific molecules of interest. On one hand, we built a feedback-control 3D single-particle tracking microscope termed TSUNAMI (Tracking Single Particles Using Nonlinear And Multiplexed Illumination) that is capable of monitoring the receptor internalization process in a highly scattering environment (Nature Communications 2015, U.S. patent). On the other hand, we created new fluorescence nanobiosensors that do not rely on Főrster energy transfer as on/off switching mechanism for biosensing. By taking advantage of a repurposed next-generation sequencing technique, we recently screened 40,000 fluorescent species prepared in DNA and elucidated the design rules for creating bright silver nanoclusters (Advanced Materials 2022). We have also invented a new molecular probe that changes color from green to red upon nuclease digestion (U.S. patent pending).

Bio: Tim Yeh obtained his bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University, master's degree from UCLA, and doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. He worked at Optical Micro Machines Inc. in San Diego from 1998-2003 as an R&D engineer, developing MEMS-based photonic switches for telecommunications. At Johns Hopkins, his research focused on single-molecule spectroscopy, BioMEMS and nanobiosensors. Yeh received his postdoctoral training at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 2009-2012, in the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies. While at LANL, he won a 2011 R&D 100 Award and a 2013 Postdoctoral Publication Prize in Experimental Sciences. Yeh is now an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering  at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include nanobiosensor development, advanced fluorescence techniques and massively parallel selection of fluorogenic aptamers.