Antibodies are widely used in many biological applications, particularly in diagnostics. The goal of this project is to create and test a fusion protein construct that would allow for the rapid, high-density and oriented immobilization of antibodies on unmodified cellulose paper. Immobilization of antibodies on paper can decrease the cost of production of certain diagnostics and can reduce the number of false positives and nonspecific binding events. If this construct proves to be effective, it can be integrated in a full immunoassay that can be utilized to design and test a variety of paper-based diagnostics.

I am participating in SuperUROP in order to strengthen my background in protein engineering and the biological applications of chemical engineering. I hope to provide a meaningful contribution to my lab that can be used in future work. I also look forward to the opportunity to work on my own independent research project.