Genetically encoded biosensors for visualization of cell activity

Genetically encoded biosensors for visualization of cell activity  Assistant Professor Zhao brings scientific expertise in the rapidly expanding areas of microfluidics and biosensor development for use in disease diagnostics and biomanufacturing. He is one of three Research Officers brought on by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) as part of the NRC and U of T’s collaborative Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT). Prior to joining CRAFT in April 2023, Zhao completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Alberta. Employing techniques like directed evolution, a process that expedites natural selection in the lab against user-defined goals, Zhao’s work will focus on accelerating the process of making new proteins including biosensors to help researchers better understand disease mechanisms with the goal to help develop new therapeutics for a range of diseases.