The Pq Laboratory of BiomeDx/Rx

Dx to Rx: The Key to Advancing Precision Medicine

Our research is focused on Translational Medicine. Through working at the interface of medicine, material, and engineering our interdisciplinary team aims to develop groundbreaking technologies for the detection of biofluid biomarkers and drug delivery. Ultimately, we hope that by working in close partnership with medical practitioners, these techniques can be implemented in clinical practice. On the other hand, leveraging clinical data mining we are interested in exploring, identifying, and validating potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and therapy. We will further bring them back to the patient's bedside to improve outcomes. Currently, our team focuses on  lung cancer early diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and drug delivery systems.

Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Chimeric Molecule Design and Applications

Chimeric molecules are engineered compounds that combine functional elements from different biological or chemical sources into a single molecule. The goal is to create a multifunctional entity with enhanced or novel capabilities that are not possible with the individual components alone. Chimeric molecules can be synthesized from different building blocks, such as small chemical compounds (e.g., PROTAC), nucleic acids (e.g., aptamer-siRNA conjugation), proteins (e.g., bispecific antibodies), and even whole cells (e.g., CAR T-cells). Leveraging Bioinformatics, Computational Design, and Molecular Cloning, chimeric molecules can be designed and produced. The process is both an art and a science, blending theoretical design with practical lab work. Of note, at present the application of chimeric molecules is mainly focused on therapy. There is significant room for growth in diagnostics and theranostics. Moreover, the design of chimeric molecules is primarily limited to the serial arrangement of elements, which is mainly due to the constrains of in vivo synthesis and in vitro site-specific chemical conjugation. In future, using a hybrid approach that combines the two approaches is a promising strategy for building complex, branched structures for advanced applications. In our lab, by engineering chimeric molecules for improved EV isolation, detection, and multiplex/cyclic labeling, our team aims to significantly advance the performance of EV-based diagnostics and therapies.

​Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles with sub-micrometer size that are released by cells. EVs contain a tissue-specific signature wherein a variety of proteins and nucleic acids are selectively packaged. Incontestably, growing evidence has shown important biological roles and clinical relevance of EVs in cancers. In particular, recent studies validate that EV can be used for non-invasive repetitive cancer (early) diagnostics, staging, and treatment monitoring. Currently, we are investigating the role of EV-DNA in early diagnosis of malignant pulmonary nodule (MPN). To further provide a more powerful diagnostic strategy for patients with MPN, a deep learning-based diagnostic system is under development, which can quickly raise a red flag on patients with high risk of MPN. Subsequently, physicians would recommend these patients take EV-based liquid biopsy. The combination of medical imaging and molecular detection would significantly improve diagnostic accuracy of MPN with a two-day turnaround time. In contrast, a definitive diagnosis of MSPN generally takes 3 to 12 months, and it heavily relies on follow-up CT scans. The other ongoing project is focusing on EV-based treatment monitoring of patients with advanced lung cancer. The ultimate goal is to develop a point-of-care device for patients, allowing them to monitoring targetable mutations at home.