Physical Chemistry Seminar: Professor David R. Walt, Harvard Medical School

Physical Chemistry Seminar: Professor David Walt, Harvard Medical School, Sapp Center Lecture Hall, 4:30pm (Host: Steve Boxer)

“Using Microwell Array Technology to Probe Chemistry and Biology at Their Fundamental Limits”

About the Seminar

We use microwell arrays to detect and study single molecules. Our group has developed a single molecule detection technology, called Simoa for single molecule arrays, to detect proteins at 1000 times lower concentrations than conventional methods, thereby opening up an entirely new set of proteins that can now be detected in the blood.  The technology is being used in clinical studies to develop a blood test for detecting early-stage breast cancer, for diagnosing latent tuberculosis, and for detecting various infectious diseases using the host response to infection.   We have also developed methods to measure the concentrations of key biomolecules in single cells.  The research has important implications for understanding the stochastic nature of biological systems as well as for practical applications in which cells are used to assess toxicity and bioavailability.  In addition, the laboratory is using arrays of single molecules for fundamental enzymology studies.

About the Speaker

David R. Walt is a Professor at Harvard Medical School, is a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, is a faculty member in Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. Previously, he was University Professor at Tufts University. Dr. Walt is the Scientific Founder of Illumina Inc, Quanterix Corp. and has co-founded several other life sciences startups including Ultivue, Inc., Arbor Biotechnologies and Sherlock Biosciences. He has received numerous national and international awards and honors for his fundamental and applied work in the field of optical microwell arrays and single molecules. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He has published over 300 papers and holds nearly 100 patents. He received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in chemical biology from SUNY at Stony Brook, and did postdoctoral studies at MIT.