College of Engineering and Applied Science » Research » Centers & Labs » Integrative Biosensing Laboratory

Integrative Biosensing Laboratory (IBL) ​

In partnership with the College of Engineering and Applied Science, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Center for Stem Cell, and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital , the Integrative Biosensing Lab studies:

  • Miniaturized electrokinetic devices ​ for precise sensing and measurements
  • Smart Scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine​
  • Microfluidics for point-of-care diagnostics and drug screening ​

Novel Electrokinetic-based devices for liquid biopsy in cancer diagnostics ​

Circulating cancer biomarkers in blood ​

Diagram of circulating cancer biomarkers in blood ​
Diagram showing quantification and Characterization of detected biomarkers

Quantification and Characterization of detected biomarkers ​

Diagram depicting simulation of device performance by COMSOL Multiphysics ​

Simulation of device performance by COMSOL Multiphysics ​

Research in action

Student in lab
Micro-fabricated Device ​

Micro-fabricated Device ​

Rapid and Label-free Resistive Pulse Sensing for Amplification-free Detection of Nucleic Acids ​

Diagram of sequence-Specific Detection of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)​

Sequence-Specific Detection of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)​

Diagram of simulation of Electric Field Distribution of the Sensor​

Simulation of Electric Field Distribution of the Sensor​

Diagram of electric signal upon blockade

Electric signal upon blockade

Diagram showing Rapid and Label-free Resistive Pulse Sensing for Amplification-free Detection of Nucleic Acids ​
Resistive Pulse measurements of microRNAs (miRNA)​

Resistive Pulse measurements of microRNAs (miRNA)​

Scatter plot of detection of nucleic acids

Smart Piezoelectric Scaffold for Tissue Regenerative ​

Electrospinning Technology for fabrication of organic and biocompatible devices ​

Electrospinning Technology for fabrication of organic and biocompatible devices ​

Two student in a lab
Closeup of tissue regeneration
Nanofiber polymer
Diagram of tissue regeneration
Diagram of tissue regeneration

A microfluidic platform for high throughout Drug Screening ​

Diagram of microfluidic platform for high throughout drug screening
Micro-fabricated wells for development of organoids ​

Micro-fabricated wells for development of organoids ​

Students in lab working on research project

Faculty

Headshot of Leyla Esfandiari

Leyla Esfandiari

Assoc Professor, CEAS - Biomedical Eng

MANTEI

513-556-1355

Dr. Esfandiari is a distinguished associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati and a faculty member of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) program. She is highly regarded for her work in developing miniaturized technologies for biomedical applications. Her research is mainly focused on developing micro- and nano-scale devices, such as sensors and actuators, that can be applied in liquid biopsy and regenerative medicine. Her research has been supported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Defense (DoD). Dr. Esfandiari has won many awards, including the NIH Maximizing Investigator Research Award (MIRA), the NSF CAREER Award, the Engineering and Applied Sciences Distinguished Research Award, and the Restemeyer Teaching Excellent Award.
Dr. Esfandiari received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California State University of Long Beach (CSULB) and her M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California Irvine (UCI). She completed her doctoral degree in Bioengineering from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). While at UCLA, Esfandiari also conducted research at the California Nano-System Institution (CNSI), School of Medicine Neuroscience and Orthopedic Surgery Departments. During her academic training, Dr. Esfandiari has given back by leading and training graduate and undergraduate students. Besides her academic experiences, she has 3 years of industrial experience working at the tech companies in southern California.
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