Welcome to the Laboratory for Innovation in Optofluidics and Nanophotonics (LION). We conduct research at the intersection between Biomaterials, Nanophotonics, Microfluidics, and Metamaterials. Our multidisciplinary research efforts include plasmonic and resonant dielectric nanostructures for efficient nano-optical trapping, manipulation, enhanced spectroscopy, and sensing of nanoscale biological objects such as nano-sized extracellular vesicles. We develop new technologies including next generation optical nanotweezers and label-free imaging platforms that will (i) enable the understanding of the biological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and (ii) drive translational biomedical applications of EVs in advanced therapeutics and liquid biopsy for early detection..
We also investigate trapping-assisted nanobiosensors for the detection of biological molecules such as viruses and protein markers. A final component of our research program is on optically-resonant nanostructures for enhancement of light emission, which is crucial for the realization of quantum light sources. Through our research, we investigate innovative solutions to global challenges in life science and medicine, nanomanufacturing, and sensing. Through these activities, we educate the next generation of creative thinkers and innovators that are equipped to tackle interdisciplinary problems.
What we do
Optical Nanotweezers:
- electrothermoplasmonic tweezers
- opto-thermo-electrohydrodynamic tweezers
- Resonant dielectric nanotweezers
Bionanophotonics:
- single extracellular vesicles to unravel their heterogeneity
- liquid biopsy of extracellular vesicles
- nanophotonic biosensors for single-molecule analysis
Quantum Photonics:
- nano-engineered ultra-bright single-photon source
Plasmonic and Resonant Dielectric Metasurfaces
Affiliations: Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE)
Vanderbilt Center for Extracellular Vesicles Research
Vanderbilt Biophotonics Center
Contact information:
Department of Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University
Office: Featheringill Hall, Room 338
Lab: Featheringill Hall, Room 329/319
Phone: +1(615) 875 1662
E-mail: justus.ndukaife@vanderbilt.edu