SMU Researchers' 'Lab-on-a-Chip' Test Earns $100K Grant

Two engineering professors at Dallas’ Southern Methodist University have been awarded a $100,000 research grant to help develop a fast, portable tool for point-of-care medical diagnosis called Lab-on-a-Chip.

The grant to engineering professors J.-C. Chiao and Ali Beskok came from Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

The grant “will help our team to continue the research efforts and develop clinical applications for the point-of-care diagnostic devices,” said Chiao, who’s also a project lead in the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration in the Department of Commerce.

According to SMU, it’s estimated the team’s Lab-on-a-Chip test can detect immune responses to infectious pathogens in two to three minutes, using just a drop of blood or saliva. SMU said the same technology also could potentially be used to identify biomarkers for noninfectious chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiac, and coronary artery diseases.

Chiao, the Mary and Richard Templeton Centennial Chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Beskok, the associate dean for research innovation and PhD education and the George R. Brown Chair in mechanical engineering at the SMU Lyle School of Engineering, were contenders for the inaugural 2024 Hill Prize in Engineering presented by TAMEST—the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Technology—and Lyda Hill Philanthropies, SMU said.

Although the pair’s proposal did not win, Lyda Hill Philanthropies—which funded the inaugural TAMEST prizes in five categories and is committed to advancing scientific breakthroughs by supporting researchers and entrepreneurs—gave Chiao and Beskok a donation for their research.

‘Focused on designing affordable devices’

Essentially, the Lab-on-a-Chip test profiles how a person’s immune system has responded to pathogens. For example, the test detects human IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies that are produced to fight infections, as well as other neutralizing antibodies generated by the immune system to destroy viruses.

SMU said the test is performed by applying a drop of bodily fluid to a “microfluidic” chip used to analyze tiny amounts of liquid. The chip then is placed into an electronic instrument that detects changes that quantify specific antibodies present in the plasma.

“We’re focused on designing affordable devices that can be used at every home, office, factory, and school to ensure accessibility and ability to prevent outbreaks,” Chiao said.