On Jan. 13, 2015, Prof. Yi LU from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign visited SINANO and delivered a talk entitled “Functional DNA Nanotechnology: Precise Spatial and Dynamic Controls of Nanomaterials Assembly and its Applications in Sensing, Imaging and Medicine”. The presentation was chaired by Prof. Renjun Pei. Many researchers and graduate students participated in this report.  

At the meeting, Professor Yi Lu firstly introduced the research progress of Functional DNA Nanotechnology about his group and then systematically showed precise spatial and dynamic controls of nanomaterials assembly and its applications in sensing, imaging and medicine. Particularly, he pointed out four key problems: firstly, how to establish a general method to screen molecules with the function of specific recognition; secondly, how to improve selectivity of sensors; thirdly, how to transform the molecular recognition to physical signals; finally, how to realize broad and adjustable linear detection range. Furthermore, Prof. Yi Lu described his group research in developing functional nucleic sensors about how to solve these four key problems. After the report finished, Prof. Yi Lu exchanged with researchers and student present and answer related questions. 

Prof. Yi Lu brief introduction: Prof. Yi Lu received his B.S. degree from Peking University in 1986, and Ph.D. degree from University of California at Los Angeles in 1992 under Professor Joan S. Valentine. He is now Jay and Ann Schenck Endowed Professor of Chemistry and HHMI Professor in the Departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Bioengineering and Materials Science and Engineering. His research interests lie at the interface between chemistry and biology. Prof. Lu has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007), Early Career Award, Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry (2007), and so on.