Our research program focuses the development of new sensors for Water-Enviroment-Health nexus and underpinned sensing mechanisms to design and fabricate 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

2022
  • Dr Yang is promoted to Senior Lecturer from October 1, 2022. 
 
2021 
2020
  • Our work on paper sensors for COVID-19 in sewage was featured in Science (22.04.2020) & BBC One (22.09.2020)
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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!!! ​
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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 Device Combining CRISPR/Cas12a and Reverse-Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Wastewater
Environ Sci Technol, 2022, in press

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

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

Can a paper-based device trace COVID-19 sources with wastewater-based epidemiology?
Environ Sci Technol, 2020, 54 (7), 3733-3735. (IF 11)
Featured by Science

Opportunities and Challenges for Biosensors and Nanoscale Analytical Tools for Pandemics: COVID-19
ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 7, 7783–7807. (IF 14.6)
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An integrated biosensor system with mobile health and wastewater-based epidemiology for COVID-19 pandemic. 
Biosens Bioelectron 2020(169),112617 (IF 11.2)

Paper-based microfluidics for rapid diagnostics and drug delivery. 
J Control Release, 2020, 322, 187-199. (IF 11.5)
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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 11.2)

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. 

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