"Bona Fide Optical Discs and Players for Molecular Diagnostics"
Dr. Hua-Zhong Yu (Simon Fraser)

Current guidelines for healthcare emphasize rapid testing and reporting, which can be better satisfied by point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools rather than centralized medical laboratories using automated multi-analyte analyzers by trained professionals. With POC testing, the turn-around time can be significantly reduced, leading to earlier decision making and more efficient medical treatment. At present, POC protocols are predominantly based on rapid-test immunoassay strips/cassettes that combine gold nanoparticles for colorimetric (mostly qualitative) detection and flow-through systems for sample delivery. Optical disc technology provides a promising alternative to today’s POC testing protocol; we have established both the surface chemistry and signal reading methodology for running bioassays of various molecular analytes on bona fide optical discs (CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs); these bioDiscs can be read quantitatively with standard computer drives or stand-alone disc players, i.e., without any modifications to the hardware and software driver.

(1)     Yu, H.-Z.; Li, Y.; Ou, L.M.L. Acc. Chem. Res. 2013, 46, 258-268.
(2)     Li, X.; Weng, S.; Ge, B.; Yao, Z.; Yu, H.-Z. Lab Chip. 2014, 14, 1686–1694.
(3)     Weng, S.; Li, X.; Niu, M.; Ge, B.; Yu, Yu, H.-Z. Anal. Chem. 2016, 88, 6889–6896.

Hua-Zhong “Hogan” Yu received his B.Sc. from Shandong University (Ji’nan) in 1991, and Ph.D. from Peking University (Beijing) in 1997. He then went to California Institute of Technology (Pasadena) working with A.H. Zewail (1999 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry) and F.C. Anson as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Yu joined Simon Fraser University as an Assistant Professor in 2001 after short stays at National Research Council Canada (Ottawa, 1999-2000) and Acadia University (Wolfville, NS, 2000-2001). At SFU, Dr. Yu was granted early promotions to Associate Professor in 2005, Full Professor in 2009, and jointly appointed with 4D Labs and the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry since 2007. Dr. Yu’s research spans a broad range of topics in physical, analytical, and materials chemistry. Dr. Yu has published more than 120 research papers in refereed journals (mostly ACS and Wiley-VCH), filed four U.S./International patents, and given over 150 invited lectures worldwide. Dr. Yu has won several major awards, including the 2004 Fred Beamish Award of the Canadian Society of Chemistry (CSC), the W. Lash Miller Award of the Electrochemical Society (ECS) Canadian Section in 2011, the Tajima Prize of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) in 2012, and recently the CSC W.A.E. McBryde Medal (2015). 

He is the guest of Dr. Louis Cuccia