Zuzanna S. Siwy, Ph.D.
Recorded on March 11, 2014.
Physicist Zuzanna Siwy is on a quest for techniques that lead to faster, cheaper ways of detecting viruses, cancer cells, and bioterror agents such as anthrax. The current techniques are imprecise, elaborate and expensive.
For clues, Dr. Siwy looks to the human body. Small pores in human cell membranes ---- 100,000 the width of a human hair ---- can govern the passage of even the tiniest agent such as a single molecule. For example, pores in our kidneys demonstrate a fascinating desalination process.
In her lab, Dr. Siwy creates devices that mimic these biological "nanopores". Come learn how these artificial structures can be used in virus detection and cacner diagnosis, and many other powerful applications.
