Prof.Wu of Texas Tech University

Recent years have witnessed rapid advances in diagnostic technologies spanning magnetic, optical, mechanical, and electrochemical modalities. Despite this progress, a critical gap remains: the need for diagnostic platforms that are accessible, accurate, and cost-effective for routine clinical and translational use. In this talk, I will focus on emerging magnetic technologies that leverage magnetic nanoparticles and their unique physical properties to address pressing biomedical challenges. I will first highlight ongoing research in my laboratory on the synthesis, doping, surface functionalization, and physicochemical characterization of magnetic nanoparticles, with applications in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic hyperthermia therapy. I will then revisit the magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) technology I developed at the University of Minnesota, emphasizing its use in sensitive and quantitative in vitro biosensing. Finally, I will describe our current efforts to develop a benchtop magnetic particle imaging (MPI) platform, aimed at enabling quantitative imaging and image-guided precision oncology.

Biography:

Dr. Kai Wu is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas Tech University. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2017 and continued there as a postdoctoral researcher until 2022. His research integrates magnetic nanomaterials and spintronic devices to advance biomedical diagnostics and therapy. Dr. Wu’s lab focuses on four areas: (1) magnetic nanoparticles and spintronic devices for biomedical applications; (2) additive manufacturing of wearable bioelectronics; (3) magnetic particle imaging and magnetic resonance imaging; and (4) AI-assisted healthcare. He serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Sensors Journal and IEEE Transactions on Magnetics. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, holds 7 issued and 2 pending patents, and has contributed 1 book and 8 book chapters. His research is currently supported by NIH NIBIB, NIH NIGMS, NIH NHLBI, and NSF DUE.

Email:

Address:Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States