PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Koji Sode, Ph.D
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor
Email: ksode@email.unc.edu
Dr. Sode is a Distinguished Professor in the UNC/NCSU joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. He also serves as the Adjunct Professor at the Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan. Dr. Sode is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)
He is the author of more than 360 peer-reviewed papers and holds numerous international patents relating to biosensing technologies including 45 US patents. He serves as the Editor for Biosensors and Bioelectronics and as the Congress Committee of The World Congress of Biosensors.
The strategic research concept of Dr. Sode’s research lab is to discover, design and create novel molecules based on biomolecular engineering to be applied for the development of innovative biosensing technologies dedicated to healthcare management and novel bioprocesses based on synthetic biology approaches. Representative achievements were about the Biomolecular Engineering of enzymes for glucose monitoring for both 2nd generation and 3rd generation electrochemical biosensing systems. Currently, Sode’s lab is focusing on 1. The creation of engineered biosensing molecules (enzymes/binding proteins/antibodies/aptamers, 2. The development of innovative in vivo, real-time, multi-parameter and continuous biosensing systems, 3. Innovative POCT/single use sensing systems for biomarkers, 4. The development of biomedical devices for closed loop therapies. These research topics are all based on the original and unique concept of creating Biomolecules to be dedicated to the creation of Biomedical devices, being beneficial for the improvement of human health and quality of life.
Lab staff
POSTDOC RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Mika Hatada, Ph.D
Email: mikah@email.unc.eduEmail: mikah@email.unc.edu
Current research
Biosensor, Protein engineering
I love Fishing!
POSTDOC RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Madoka Nagata, Ph.D
Email: mnagata@email.unc.edu
Current research
I am aiming to develop continuous monitoring of therapeutic monoclonal antibody using aptamer, which is a single strand DNA and can bind to target molecule specifically.
POSTDOC RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
David Probst, Ph.D
Email: david_probst@med.unc.edu
Current research
Biosensors
Lab member
GRADUATE STUDENT
Ellie Wilson
Current research
Protein engineering, biosensors
GRADUATE STUDENT
Joe Kerrigan
Current research
Enzyme engineering, biosensors
GRADUATE STUDENT
Thy Le
Current research
Enzyme engineering, biosensors
GRADUATE STUDENT
Mukund Khanwalker
Current research
Biosensors
GRADUATE STUDENT
Bryant Kane
Current research
Protein engineering, biosensors
GRADUATE STUDENT
Kartheek Batchu
Current research
Biosensors
Undergraduate
Visiting scholars
Mentored International Research Specialists (visiting research scholar with J1 status)
• Andrea Rescalli (April 2024 - October 2024, visiting graduate research scholar)
Alumni
Mentored Postdoctoral Associates
• Dr. Noya Andrea Maren Loew (January 2018 – December 2020)
• Dr. Jinhee Lee (April 2018 – June 2021)
• Dr. Junko Okuda-Shimazaki (September 2018 – August 2022)
• Dr. Inyoung Lee (2021 Apr. – 2022 June)
Mentored International Research Specialists (visiting research scholar with J1 status)
• Dr. Inyoung Lee; Republic of Korea (2018 – 2021Mar.; visiting graduate research scholar 2018 – 2020, Post doctoral research specialist 2020 – 2021.Mar.)
• Takumi Yanase; Japan (2018 – 2019 visiting graduate research scholar, 2021-2022; visiting graduate research scholar)
• Hayato Kimura; Japan (2018 – 2019 visiting graduate research scholar)
• Shouhei Takamatsu; Japan (2018 – 2019 visiting graduate research scholar)
• Mika Hatada; Japan (2018 – 2019 visiting graduate research scholar)
• Sanghoon Kim: Republic of Korea (2018 – 2019 visiting graduate research scholar)
• Dr, Takenori Satomura; Japan (2019 Post doctoral research specialist)
• Madoka Nagata; Japan (2019 – 2020 visiting graduate research scholar)
• Yuma Hayato; Japan (2019 – 2020 visiting graduate research scholar)
• Dr. Mika Hatada; Japan (2020 – 2022; Post doctoral research specialist)
• Madoka Nagata; Japan (2020 – present; research specialist)
• Dr. Moon Il Kim; South Korea (2022-2023; visiting researcher)
• Mai Hamasaki (2022- 2023; visiting graduate research scholar)
• Miho Oda (2022- 2023; visiting graduate research scholar)
• Misae Nazuka (2022- 2023; visiting graduate research scholar)
• Saman Taufiq (2022- 2023; visiting graduate research scholar)
• Shintaro Inaba (2023- 2024; visiting graduate research scholar)
Mentored Undergraduate students (research assistant)
• Matthew Lothspeich, BME 2018
• Jamison Austin Hauser, BME 2018 - 2019
• Kartheek Batchu, BME 2018 – 2021 (BME 495 Undergraduate Research in BME as a Specialty Elective, BME 691 Senior Honors Thesis in Biomedical Engineering), 2021 – 2022 Graduate Technical Assistant (BME Master program student), (2022 - current; Technical Assistant)
• Stephan Henly, BME 2018 – 2020 (Lucas Scholar Awardee)
• Pradham Venkata Tanikella, BME 2018 - 2020
• Joe Adam Jr Kerrigan, Chemistry 2018 – 2020 (Chem 395)
• Anthony Michael Schinelli, Chemistry 2019 – 2020 (Chem 395)
• Thy Le, Chemistry 2019 – 2021 (Chem 395)
• Truc Thanh Tran, BME 2019 – 2021 (Lucas Scholar Awardee)
• Suruya Shanmugam, BME 2019 - 2020
• Elias Joseph Stephanoporous, BME 2019 – 2020 (BME 495 Undergraduate Research in BME as a Specialty Elective)
• Napoleon Pham Nguyen, BME 2020 – 2021 (Abrams Scholar Awardee)
• Maddie Katherine Smith, BME 2020- 2020
• Thien Anh Nguyen, BME 2020 – 2021 (BME 295 Research in Biomedical Engineering)
• Nathan Lopus, BME 2022 – 2022
• Michael Cotton, BME 2022 – 2022
• Madelyn Andrew, BME 2022 – 2023
• Varun Kochar, BME 2022 – 2024 (BMME 495-004 Research in Biomedical Engineering Technology Elective, Honor thesis)
• Walton Elijah, 2022 – 2023
• Venkatapathy Varsha, 2022 – 2023
• Kevin Robertson, 2023 – 2023
• Cai Yameng, 2023 – 2024