Our research program focuses the development of new sensors for Water-Environmnet-Health nexus and underpinned sensing mechanisms to design novel testing devices. The projects underway involve aspects of diverse disciplines ranging from chemistry, biomedical, analytical and environmental science to nanotechnology...more>>

News​​ ...More>>
Our group are featured in the Cranfield University News of the Year 2020 for contribution on paper-based COVID-19 sensors for wastewater analysis within the UK national monitoring programme. ​

 Highlights

2021 
2020
  • Our work on paper sensors for COVID-19 in sewage was featured in Science (22.04.2020) & BBC One (22.09.2020)
​   ​
2019

2018  
2017
  • Zhugen was awarded a UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Independent Research Fellowship (£508K), and he will start his independent research group from December 2017. PhDs, Project Students are very welcome!!! ​
  ​
2013
  • Zhugen was awarded an EU Marie Curie Fellow on the development of community sewage sensors in Bath University after a postdoc a the University of Cambridge (10.2013).

Selected Publications

Reprogrammed tracrRNAs enable repurposing of RNAs as crRNAs and sequence-specific RNA detection
Nat Commun 2022, 13, 1937

Paper microfluidic implementation of loop mediated isothermal amplification for early diagnosis of hepatitis C virus
Nat Commun 2021,12, 6994.  
​
Paper-based devices as a new tool for rapid and on-site monitoring of ‘superbugs'. 
Environ Sci Technol, 2021, 55, 18, 12133–12135.​

Can a paper-based device trace COVID-19 sources with wastewater-based epidemiology?
Environ Sci Technol, 2020, 54 (7), 3733-3735. (IF9.3)
Featured by Science

Paper-based nanosensors to evaluate community-wide illicit drug use for wastewater-based epidemiology.
Water Res 2021, 189, 116559 (IF 11.2)

Opportunities and Challenges for Biosensors and Nanoscale Analytical Tools for Pandemics: COVID-19
ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 7, 7783–7807. (IF 14.6)
​
An integrated biosensor system with mobile health and wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 pandemic. 
Biosens Bioelectron 2020(169),112617 (IF 10.3)

Paper-based microfluidics for rapid diagnostics and drug delivery. 
J Control Release, 2020, 322, 187-199. 
​
Paper-based microfluidics for DNA diagnostics of malaria in low resource underserved rural communities.
PNAS 2019, 116 (11) 4834- 4842.  

Rapid veterinary diagnosis of bovine reproductive infectious diseases from semen using paper-origami DNA microfluidics. ​
ACS Sens, 2018, 3(2), 403-409. 

Graphene nanocomposites modified electrochemical aptamer sensor for rapid and highly sensitive detection of prostate specific antigen.
Biosens Bioelectron 2018, 121, 41-46. (IF 10.3)

Monitoring Genetic Population Biomarkers with wastewater-based epidemiology. 
Anal Chem 2017, 89 (18), 9941–9945. 

A novel DNA biosensor using a ferrocenyl intercalator applied to the potential detection of human population biomarkers in wastewater. 
Environ Sci Technol 2015, 49 (9),5609–5617. (IF9.3)

Community Sewage Sensors for Monitoring Public Health.  
​Environ Sci Technol 2015. 49 (10), 5845–5846. (IF9.3)